Category: New Year

• A Long Talk with My Dog – the best way to begin the New Year.

  Floey jumped down from the couch, stretched her whole body, and sauntered over to me. I was sitting at my desk. She plopped herself down right next to me. But instead of resuming her nap, she looked up at me and asked, “What are you doing, Mom? You look like you’re just staring off into…

  Marian

  January 10, 2019

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, New Year, Reflections

  Floey, God’s love, groomer, haircut, inspiration, Listen, Love of God, New Year’s Resolution, patience, peace, reflections, small talk, special word

• A New Year… A New Word!

  2018 is the fifth year that I’ve chosen a special word to be my focus for the new year. Unlike making up new year’s resolutions, choosing a special word can be an inspiration for the whole year, not something to measure yourself against until you fail, and then forget about. At least that’s how it’s…

  Marian

  January 3, 2018

  Book Recommendations, Life’s Challenges, New Year, Reflections

  gratitude, Hillary Clinton, hope, Joan Chittister, joy, kindness, New Word, New Year, New Year’s Resolution, peace, Scarred by Struggle Transformed by Hope, What Happened

• Special Words for 2017

  Floey came bounding down the stairs, ran over to my desk, and sat down on the floor right next to me. “Good morning, Floey,” I said. “Good morning, Mom. Is it time yet?” Floey asked. “Yes. I think the time has finally come, Floey. Are you ready to talk about our special words for next…

  Marian

  January 3, 2017

  Goals, Life’s Challenges, New Year, Reflections

  2017, Abbey, chance to be successful, Doris, economic harm, Floey, friend, hope, hopeful, Jesus Lives, kindness, meow, perfect word, physical harm, presidential election, sarah young, scared, special word, stubborn

• This Year’s Lesson: KINDNESS

  What do an Italian psychotherapist, a Christian college president in California, and a hitchhiker across America have in common? They each wrote a book about kindness. And I read them all this year. As you may recall, “kindness” is my special word for 2016. Upon the suggestion of Debbie Macomber in her book, One Perfect…

  Marian

  December 20, 2016

  Book Recommendations, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, New Year, Reflections

  Barry Corey, Be ye kind, Biola University, BookBub, Christ in a dream, core virtue, crying baby, Dalai Lama, Debbie Macomber, Ephesians 4:32, Evangelical, firm center with soft edges, forgotten Christian virtue, fundamentally disagree wtih, hitchhiked penniless, hitchhiker, Italian, Kindle, kindness, kindness of strangers, Leo Tolstoy, Love Kindness, Mike McIntyre, newspaper columnist, One Perfect Word, Penniless across America, Piero Ferrucci, poor shoemaker, psychologist, psychotherapist, receivable, special word, storyteller, The Kindness of Strangers, The Power of Kindness, virtue

• Meow?

  

  Floey came running up to my desk and stood beside me. “I’m ready, Mom. Let’s get started. I can hardly wait to start blogging about my special word for 2016.” Floey was wagging her tail so hard and fast I was afraid she might knock the landline phone off my desk. “Okay, Floey. We can…

  Marian

  January 5, 2016

  Book Recommendations, Goals, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, New Year, Reflections

  2016 word, Debbie Macomber, Floey, gratitude, joy, kindness, meow, Mim, One Perfect Word, patience, play, special word, wait, waiting

• My Cohort in Big Adventures

  In the middle of my 11-day getaway a couple weeks ago, I drove home to Cambridge to have Sunday brunch with Mim and my other cohort in big adventures, Ellen Kogstad. Ellen was in Wisconsin for a wedding, so I jumped at the chance to have a few hours together to catch up on our…

  Marian

  May 12, 2015

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, New Year, Personal Retreats, Reflections, Reunions

  bed and breakfast, big adventures, CCHC, Circle Christian Health Center, cohort, cohort in big adventures, Ellen Kogstad, Emily Bray, farmhouse, grand adventures, gratitude, homeless teen moms, life changes, New Moms, New Moms Inc., North Park Seminary, spiritual formation, spiritual retreat center, Sunday brunch, teen moms, Transformation Center, whispering winds, Whispering Winds Retreat Haven

• JOY – My Special Word for 2014

  “Abbey, Mim & Me – Our Special Words for 2014” was the first blog post I wrote this year. I explained that rather than coming up with any New Year’s resolutions for 2014, I would spend the year focusing on JOY. The idea of choosing one special word to focus on for a whole year…

  Marian

  December 30, 2014

  Assisted Living, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, New Year

  92-year-olds, 93-year-olds, Abbey, assisted living, blogging, Christmas Mountain, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, Debbie Macomber, enough, Floey, friends, God’s love, gratitude, joy, life challenges, listening for God, mini-vacations, nonagenarian, One Perfect Word, perfect word, play, reflections, special word, spirituality, talking with God, the joy of the Lord, The Theory of Everything

• Abbey, Mim & Me – Our Special Words for 2014

  January is a time every year that I start thinking about how I want this year to be different from previous years. Sometimes I make New Year resolutions. Some years I formulate specific goals. Every year I come up with an immediate to-do list. At a minimum I need to plan how I’m going to…

  Marian

  January 7, 2014

  Book Recommendations, Celebrations, Goals, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, New Year

  Abbey, change in my life, daily devotions, Debbie Macomber, enough, God’s love, joy, Let the year begin, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, New Year Resolutions, One Perfect Word, play, reflections, spirituality, talking with God, to-do lists

• Transition Time

  It’s official. Whispering Winds Retreat Haven is on break. As of the first of the year, the farmhouse will be home to another family for at least two years. In January of 2015, the farmhouse may reclaim the name of Whispering Winds and come back to life as a B&B-style retreat center again, or it…

  Marian

  December 30, 2012

  Assisted Living, Blogs, Celebrations, God’s Love, New Year, Reflections, Uncategorized

  Abbey, assisted living, blogging, change in my life, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, farmhouse, God’s love, life changes, listening for God, reflections, spirituality, whispering winds

• New Year’s Resolutions

  Well, Abbey, it’s already January 2, 2012, and time to continue our conversation from last week about the changes in our lives in 2011, and New Year’s Resolutions for 2012. I’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not to make any New Year’s Resolutions this year, and I don’t think I will. I don’t…

  Marian

  January 2, 2012

  Book Recommendations, Goals, New Year, Personal Retreats

  change in my life, devotional book, getting organized, goals, New Year goals, New Year’s Resolution