Category: Music

• Reflections on Christmas from a Church Organist

  It’s over. The busiest time of the year for everyone, but especially for church organists, is over. As I look back over this holy season, what were the highlights for me? Celebrating Christmas together with our church family at Messiah Lutheran Church. I played the organ for the 10:00 service on Christmas Eve. This is…

  Marian

  January 14, 2013

  Celebrations, Christmas, God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Music, Reflections

  accompanying singing, Christmas Carol Sing, Christmas Carols, Christmas music, Christmas season, church musician, church organist, church pianist, congregational singing, East Koshkonong Lutheran Church, God’s love, hymn sing, jail ministry, leading singing from the organ, leading singing from the piano, listening for God, Messiah Lutheran Church, playing the organ, reflections, spirituality, talking with God, whispering winds

• 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

  December 10, 2012

  Christmas, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections

  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

• Enjoying Christmas Music to the Fullest

  I love Christmas music – listening to it, singing it, and playing it on the piano and organ. The Christmas music season for me begins the Monday after Thanksgiving (today!) and extends at least throughout the week of Epiphany (January 6), and sometimes longer. I like playing Christmas carols from hymnals, but I also like…

  Marian

  November 26, 2012

  Celebrations, Christmas, God’s Love, Music, Reflections

  assisted living, christmas, Christmas Carol Sing, Christmas caroling, Christmas Carols, Christmas Eve program, Christmas memories, Christmas music, God’s love, hark the herald angels sing, hymn sing, I am so glad each Christmas Eve, Jeg er sa glad hver julekveld, Joy to the World, lutefisk, reflections, singing Christmas carols, Singing Christmas Tree, spirituality, whispering winds

• Favorites

  Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens Brown paper packages tied up with strings These are a few of my favorite things [from “The Sound of Music” by Rodgers and Hammerstein] One of my favorite words is “favorite.” Whenever I think about a favorite anything – song, person,…

  Marian

  November 11, 2012

  Assisted Living, Celebrations, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections

  Abbey, accomplishments, assisted living, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, favorite aunt, favorite ice cream, favorite nurse, favorite things, favorites, friends, God’s love, life calling, life challenges, life changes, love your neighbor, Madison Magazine, Madison’s Favorite Nurses, Mim Jacobson, Miriam Jacobson, people’s choice, people’s choice contest, reflections, spirituality, WISC-TV

• Beyond the Sunset

  Aunt Edith passed away last Tuesday evening. She’s the talented gospel pianist aunt I wrote about in this blog last summer (https://whisperingwindsblog.com/2012/07/30/lets-celebrate/). I woke up several times Tuesday night. My mind was imagining what her welcome in heaven was like. Here’s what came to mind. Edith’s husband, Helmer, was pretty excited. He had heard from…

  Marian

  November 5, 2012

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections, Reunions

  beyond the sunset, Edith Kenseth, family reunion, Gary Kenseth, God’s love, heaven, heavenly home, Helmer Kenseth, life changes, reflections, spirituality, whispering winds

• God Sent a Deer to Remind Me

  As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. [Psalm 42:1 NRSV] A young deer was cautiously watching me as I stood at my copier making a few copies of some music to put in my organ binder for Sunday’s church service. I spied her as I looked through…

  Marian

  September 24, 2012

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Music, Nature, Personal Retreats, Reflections

  As the deer, deer, God’s love, Hans Margolius, Joan Chittister, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, my soul longs for you, nature, personal retreat, Psalm, psalm 42, quiet mind, quiet waters, reflections, retreats, Socrates, spirituality, Take time to be holy, talking with God, The Monastic Way, to see the world undistorted, unexamined life, unexamined life is not worth living, whispering winds

• Let’s Celebrate!

  To forget to celebrate is to forget to imitate the God who created us and then relaxed and said, “that’s Good.”[Joan Chittister, OSB, “The Monastic Way,” July 2012] The theme of Joan Chittister’s little devotional pamphlet, “The Monastic Way,” for the month of July has been “celebrating life.” When I first pulled the pamphlet out…

  Marian

  July 30, 2012

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Music, Nature, Reflections

  anniversary celebration, Bible Camp, celebrations, daily devotions, Edith Kenseth, Edith Kenseth Chapel, God’s love, Gospel pianist, hymn sing, Joan Chittister, Lake Ripley, Monastic Way, Naked Ladies, nature, Organ for Eight, reflections, Resurrection Lily, Sinsinawa, spirituality, whispering winds, Willerup, Willerup Park Bible Camp

• Getting Together with God and Some Friends in Jail

  Last Thursday I had a glimpse into some of the unfairness and viciousness experienced by the women spending time in the county jail. As usual, I went through security to get into the jail and walked down the long hallway to the chapel to play the piano for the women’s worship service. Chaplain Julia was…

  Marian

  July 15, 2012

  God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections

  balm in gilead, fairness, God’s love, hymn sing, jail life, jail ministry, life challenges, reflections, religion, singing behind bars, singing in jail, spirituality, tears in her eyes, there is a balm in gilead, violence in jail, women’s worship service, worship in jail

• The EXPECTED and the SURPRISES

  Last week I wrote about the “Great Expectations” I had for the week. Just as I expected, all 7 of them were met. It was a great week. But there was something more. There was a big surprise. As I was scanning through Facebook on Tuesday, I came across an announcement for a concert called…

  Marian

  July 9, 2012

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Music, Nature, Reflections

  4th of July, Fourth of July, God’s love, God’s surprises, great expectations, nature, organ concert, Organ for Eight, reflections, spirituality, whispering winds, wild flowers, wildflowers

• Great Expectations for this week – 7 of them!

  For several weeks now, a friend of mine has been posting a list of three things she’s thankful for each day. Usually the lists are just that – three words or short phrases in a simple list format – just a quick statement of things she’s particularly thankful for that day. That practice got me…

  Marian

  July 2, 2012

  Blogs, Celebrations, Jail Ministry, Music, Reflections, Uncategorized

  blogging, church music, getting organized, goals, God’s love, great expectations, great-great-nephew, jail ministry, life challenges, life changes, Messiah Lutheran Church, monday mornings, past and future, personal retreat, pipe organ, reflections, retreats, safe travel, website changes, weekend guests, whispering winds, writing retreat