Category: Music
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The Goose Family is Home Again! Happy Spring!
I got up from my desk and walked over to the patio door. “Oh, look, Floey, the Goose Family has returned.” A goose made a big splash as it landed on the water. The honking got even louder as another goose landed. “That looks like Gilbert and Gloria. Let’s go out and welcome them.” “Who…
Marian
Abbey, Cleland McAfee, Floey, friends, geese, Gilbert Goose, Gloria Goose, God loves us, God’s love, God-given gifts, goose family, Grace Goose, Gregory Goose, hymn sing, joy, kindness, Lent, lenten hymns, Lenten songs, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, nature, Near to the Heart of God, reflections, seasons, spirituality, talking with God, whispering winds -
How Mean Is That Doggie in the Mirror?
Floey, who will turn one on January 24, barks ferociously every time she sees her reflection – whether it’s in a mirror, in a window at night, in the shiny black refrigerator door, or in the oven window. She sees that same dog everywhere! She knows there’s a dog on the other side of that “window” and she…
Marian
doggie, Floey, friends, get along, get along with each other, getting along, God’s love, hospitality, How kind is that person in the mirror, How mean is that doggie in the mirror, How much is that doggie in the window, kindness, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, mirror, reflection in window, reflection mirror, reflection of myself, reflections, Romans 15:5-6, spirituality, talking with God, The Message -
Living inside a Broadway Musical
Last weekend was like living inside a Broadway musical – like “The Sound of Music.” Life wasn’t an opera – our conversations were spoken, not sung – but the whole weekend seemed to flow from one musical moment to the next. It’s almost like we were taking the message of the Psalms – to sing…
Marian
Advent candles, Away in a manger, Beverly Taylor, Broadway musical, Christmas Carol Sing, Christmas Carol Sing-along, Christmas Carols, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, God’s love, Hallelujah Chorus, Hutchison, hymn sing, I thank you Lord for each new day, Joy to the World, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah, Madison Symphony Choir, Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Symphony Christmas concert, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Youth Choirs, Messiah Lutheran Church, Monona Senior Choir, Mt. Zion Gospel Choir, music, O Come All Ye Faithful, Overture Center organ, Overture Hall, reflections, Sam Hutchison, Silent Night, sing praises, Sing to the Lord, sing with the angels, sing-along, spirituality, The First Nowell, The Sound of Music, Winter Underwear, Winter Wonderland -
Discovering God’s Guest List for My Life
I read another one of Debbie Macomber’s books when I was on vacation the week before last. The book was God’s Guest List: Welcoming Those Who Influence Our Lives. The other two books of Macomber’s that I’ve read recently are One Perfect Word (about the idea of having one special word for the year rather…
Marian
assisted living, Awful August, Country Comforts, Debbie Macomber, Earl Ellickson, friends, Glee Ellickson, God will take care of you, God’s Guest List, God’s love, God-given gifts, Guest List, Guest Lists, kindness, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, reflections, spirituality, talking with God -
Reflections on a Musical Memory
Last week Mim and I spent four days at our Christmas Mountain timeshare in Wisconsin Dells. Four days is the longest we’ve been away together in years. We had a wonderful time, just relaxing and being thankful we could celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. As I was enjoying my first real vacation day on…
Marian
Amazing Grace, Beer Barrel Polka, Bible Camp, choosing music, Christmas Mountain, electronic organ, fairness, farmhouse, God-given gifts, He Giveth More Grace, Jonah, Lowery organ, Music Store, Ninevah, Old Rugged Cross, Open My Eyes, Parable of the Laborers, pump organ, reed organ, reflections, spirituality, The Old Rugged Cross, upright piano, WardBrodt, WardBrodt Music Store, Willerup, Willerup Bible Camp -
Lobster Fest Wisconsin Style
Forty-three years ago I ate my first lobster. I had just completed my first year as a high school English teacher in Plainfield, Connecticut. The kids were done with school, but the teachers were required to show up one more day to grade final exams and turn in semester grades. None of us teachers really…
Marian
Adventures in Hospitality, blueberry buckle, Connecticut, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, English teacher, friends, God’s love, God-given gifts, Home Ec teacher, hospitality, how to eat lobster, joy, kindness, lobster, lobster boil, lobster feast, Lobster Fest, Lobster Fest Wisconsin Style, love your neighbor, Margaret and Don, mussels, ocean song, Plainfield, Puff the Magic Dragon, reflections, spirituality, steamed lobster -
Joy in Unexpected Places
The highlight of my day last Thursday came at the end of the women’s worship service in the county jail. As usual, I had gone to the Dane County Jail in Madison to play the piano for the women’s worship service. But this service was a little different. Instead of a more typical opening hymn,…
Marian
Be Not Afraid, Bob Dufford, Come We That Love the Lord, Dane County Jail, God’s love, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, highlight, jail chapel, jail ministry, Jesus loves me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, joyful moments, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, Marching to Zion, reflections, spirituality, talking with God, unexpected joy, women’s worship service, worship service -
What a Gift!
It happened again Saturday morning. It doesn’t happen very often. But every once in a while I hear something so beautiful in a fantastic sort of way, that I can’t help it. My mouth forms itself into a huge smile, and it stays that way so long that my facial muscles begin to ache. That…
Marian
Ahreum Han, Alfred Brendel, attitude, Can-Can, CanCan, coughing, God-given gifts, grin, hospitality, Jacques Offenbach, Jazz Preludes, Johannes Matthias Michel, kindness, life calling, life challenges, noisy bird, organ concert, Orpheus in the Underworld, Overture Center, pipe organ, reflections, smile, smiling muscles, sneezing -
The Misfit Funeral Organist – Part 2
“When in doubt, leave it out.” That was the advice of the soloist for the funeral last week. She teaches music at some college in Minnesota. I took her advice to heart. For her solo, Mendelssohn’s “O Rest in the Lord,” I learned the piano accompaniment just fine, and I didn’t need to leave anything…
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Funerals and the Misfit Organist
That’s me. The misfit funeral organist. I’m not sure which order the words should be in. They’re all nouns linked together to convey one image – me as an organist who likes to play for funerals, even though I shouldn’t. I’m a misfit. I should avoid funerals, at all cost, just like my mom did.…
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