Category: Life’s Challenges
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Your Gift to the World
My grandma (Mom’s mother) used to make quilts. At some point she started making a green “Flower Garden” quilt, but she never finished it. When Grandma died, Mom took the quilt pieces with the intention of finishing the quilt sometime. Mom was not fond of sewing. She used to tell the story of one time…
Marian
accomplishments, Aunt Edith, create beauty, daily devotions, doing what you like, Edith Kenseth, embroider, family reunion, flower garden, flower garden quilt pattern, friends, gifts to us, God’s love, God-given gifts, grandma and grandpa, grandmas quilt, Helmer Kenseth, Joan Chittister, Kenseth, life calling, listening for God, Monastic Way, quilt, quilt pieces, quilting, reflections, sewing crocheting afghans, spirituality, talking with God, Uncle Helmer, waste of time, your gift to the world -
The 4 Best Books I’ve Read Recently
I’m sitting with three books and my Kindle on my desk right now. Within the past few weeks I’ve finished reading the three books. The fourth book is on my Kindle. All four books are excellent, and I want to tell you about them. Maybe you’ll want to read them, too. Over the past year…
Marian
Andrew You died to soon, Bible, Bible stories, Biblical womanhood, book review, Corinne Chilstrom, daily devotions, devotional book, gay Christian, Gay Christian Network, GCN, genesis to revelation, gentleness, getting organized, God’s love, God-boy, godly woman, journey through the bible, Justin Lee, kindness, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, Rachel Held Evans, reflections, Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs-Christians Debate, sarah young, spirituality, suicide, talking with God, Torn, virtuous woman, what the Bible says, Year of Biblical Womanhood -
The Three Big Questions in Life
What a walk! Sunday afternoon was a time for spring fever. Bright blue sky. Snow-covered fields. Temperatures in the upper 30’s. And no wind. Mim, Abbey, and I walked down country roads for well over an hour. The highlight of a weekend of highlights! After that refreshing walk, Abbey and I were ready for the…
Marian
Assisted Living, Book Recommendations, Celebrations, Goals, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, ReflectionsAbbey, adopted, Andrew you died too soon, assisted living, big questions, big questions in life, birthday, birthday party, Corinne Chilstrom, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, Edward Hays, family, family roots, friends, God’s love, kindness, life calling, life challenges, life questions, listening for God, long walks, Pastor Jeff, Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim, reflections, spirituality, spring fever, talking with God, walks -
A Time to Change Plans
Yesterday afternoon I wrote a blurb for the back cover of my new book on hospitality, COME, LORD JESUS, BE OUR GUEST. I plan to submit my edited manuscript along with cover suggestions to my publisher, Inspiring Voices (a division of GUIDEPOSTS) this afternoon. I’m pretty excited. This is the book I’ve been working on…
Marian
Abbey, assisted living, be kind, blogging, busy, change in my life, change plans, Come Lord Jesus Be Our Guest, Corinne Chilstrom, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, friends, getting organized, God’s love, hospitality, kindness, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, reflections, spirituality, suicide, talking with God, to-do list, whispering winds -
Attitude
In today’s reading of “The Monastic Way” Joan Chittister, OSB, said, “The attitude we bring to every day will determine the character and quality of that day.” For me, that’s a timely statement to read on a Monday morning. That’s when I look ahead to everything on my calendar for the week and everything on…
Marian
assisted living, Country Comforts Assisted Living, daily devotions, getting organized, God’s love, hymn sing, Joan Chittister, Lent, lenten hymns, Lenten Music, lenten season, life challenges, listening for God, love letter, Monastic Way, monday mornings, Mother Teresa, Oscar Wilde, pencil, play day, reflections, seasons, spirituality, Valentine, Valentine candy, Valentine card, Valentine’s Day, writing God -
Remembering the past and getting excited about the present
Saturday evening Mim and I went to a fancy Italian restaurant for dinner. We celebrated forty years of living together. As many of you know, Mim and I met forty years ago at a church Bible Study. I had just been offered a job in Chicago and was staying with a friend for a few…
Marian
40th anniversary, Abbey, anniversary, author website, blogging, books, Buffalo Ice Cream Parlor, change in my life, daily devotions, devotional book, friends, Gary Gopher, God’s love, Gregory Goose, hospitality, kindness, life calling, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, reflections, reflections on everyday life, remembering the past, spirituality, talking with God, WestBow Press, writing -
Helping Someone
Last Thursday I participated in the worship service in the County Jail again. There were 11 of us women sitting together in the circle – the chaplain, myself, and nine inmates. The New Testament reading was the last chapter of Romans. We went around the circle, each of us reading one verse. Here’s how the…
Marian
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Making Progress
For thousands of years, from Abraham to Paul, God has been trying to teach us about hospitality – both by example and by instruction. From my mom to Mim, God has been teaching me to pay attention to all of these lessons. My second book, Come, Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest: Adventures in Hospitality, is…
Marian
accomplishments, Adventures in Hospitality, Christmas Mountain, Come Lord Jesus Be Our Guest, devotional book, God’s love, Greyhound Bus Station, hospitality, kindness, learning curve, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, reflections, spirituality, strangers, talking with God, writing, writing retreat -
“Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope”
One of the first shows I went to see when I lived in Chicago was, “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope.” It was a musical review with songs about major themes of the 1970s – student protests, ghetto life, black power, and feminism. The musical style was a blend of gospel, jazz, soul, calypso, and…
Marian
bed and breakfast, building codes, building inspector, change in my life, Country Comforts, Don’t bother me, fairness, farmhouse, God’s love, handgun, handicapped accessible, I can’t cope, Job’s suffering, killing option, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, massacre, methods of coping, powerless, reflections, spirituality, state regulators, talking with God, wheelchair accessible -
The Price of Kindness and Gas
About noon on Friday I left Christmas Mountain in Wisconsin Dells to drive home for the weekend. I’ll return today (Monday) for three more days of my 10-day writing retreat. I’d made the reservations for this writing retreat a couple months ago. Since then a few things have come up for the weekend that required…
Marian
beggar, begging for money, being kind, buy gas, Christmas Carols, christmas hymn, Christmas Mountain, Christmas Mountain Village, gas money, generosity, generous, God’s love, God-wink, hospitality, hymn sing, kindness, lessons from God, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, Mary Had a Baby, panhandler, person in need, reflections, spirituality, whispering winds, Wisconsin Dells, writing retreat
Whispering Winds Blog 