Category: Personal Retreats

• My Sister Nancy

  Today, November 14, would have been my sister Nancy’s 82nd birthday. She died eleven years ago, just a few days after her 71st birthday. (My age now.) I was alone at our Christmas Mountain timeshare when she died unexpectedly. Mim called me with the shocking and sad news. I spent the rest of my retreat…

  Marian

  November 14, 2019

  God’s Love, Music, Personal Retreats, Reflections

  big sister, birthday, Christmas Mountain, Hymns of Peace and Comfort, Nancy, Nancy Kornelsen, retreat, role model, sister, Talking with God through Music

• Oh, No…

  I guess I still have more to learn about GRATITUDE – my special word for last year. As I checked into my timeshare condo at Christmas Mountain last week the last thing on my mind was gratitude. First came disappointment. Then anger. Then “what now?” But let me backtrack… I wasn’t even supposed to be…

  Marian

  October 4, 2016

  Life’s Challenges, Personal Retreats, Reflections

  apple crisp, centipede, Christmas Mountain, Christmas Mountain Village, devotional book, disappointments, getaway, grateful, gratitude, hymn, important papers, Wisconsin Dells

• Thanks, Maria. That Gives me an idea.

  

  A couple years ago, around the first of November, Chaplain Julia of the Jail Ministry invited the women inmates worshiping together in the jail chapel to tell each other about some of their family traditions related to Halloween and All Saints Day. She especially encouraged Maria to explain to us what her friends and family…

  Marian

  November 3, 2015

  Celebrations, Jail Ministry, Personal Retreats, Reflections

  All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Aztec, Christian celebrations, Day of the Dead, departed loved ones, Dia de los Muertos, favorite foods, favorite meal, Halloween, jail, jail ministry, Memorial Day, Presbyterian Church

• Shhh. I’m Trying to Quiet My Mind.

  It’s hard to be quiet in today’s culture of constant stimulation. Worse yet, we take pride in being really busy, and we brag about our ability to multi-task. So how can we possibly shut out the noise and concentrate on just one thing for ten minutes, or half an hour, or even an hour? How…

  Marian

  July 21, 2015

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

  angels, Be still, call to worship, candles, church music, church organist, cloud of love, crystal angel, daily devotions, distractions, Holy Ground, holy place, Holy Spirit, introit, Jesus Calling, Lanny Wolfe, prelude, Quiet my mind, retreat center, sarah young, Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this place, This is holy ground, Whispering Winds Retreat Haven

• 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

• Delicious Solitude

  During the month of October, the daily reflections in The Monastic Way pamphlet by Joan Chittister were on the theme of “Delicious Solitude.” I loved those reflections! Here’s a sampling. October 1: Solitude, like black olives, is an acquired taste. But once it touches the soul it is the only place where we can come to…

  Marian

  November 19, 2013

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

  Christmas Mountain, God’s love, Joan Chittister, life challenges, listening for God, Monastic Way, nest of noise, playing the piano, reflections, retreats, Sabbath, silence, solitude, spirituality, talking with God, The Monastic Way

• Why did we do it?

  Sunday in church our pastor announced to the congregation that Mim and I were married in Minneapolis last weekend, after living together 40 years. Seated on the organ bench, which is near the front of the sanctuary, I looked out over all the people who had great big smiles on their faces as they applauded…

  Marian

  September 24, 2013

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Personal Retreats

  Augsburg College, Bible study, Blessing Ceremony, change in my life, church family, Commitment Ceremony, friends, getting organized, goals, God’s love, legal protections, life calling, life challenges, Minneapolis, power of attorney documents, real wedding, reflections, same-sex marriage, wedding, wedding day, wills

• Salty Cookies, Burnt Cereal, and Learning Curves

    My mom worked in Madison during most of my growing up years.  She compensated for not being around home to supervise me as much as she would like by suggesting projects for me to do by myself, especially during the summer. One project was learning to bake cookies. One of the first times I…

  Marian

  October 22, 2012

  Blogs, Goals, Life’s Challenges, Personal Retreats, Reflections

  accomplishments, baking cookies, blogging, chocolate chip cookies, Christian Book Market, devotional book, e-book, Guideposts, hospitality, independent publisher, learning curve, life challenges, listening for God, monday mornings, personal retreat, reflections, reflections on everyday life, self-publishing, spirituality, Thomas Nelson, whispering winds, writing a book, writing retreat

• 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

• To-Do Lists

  One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important. [Bertrand Russell] We all like to think our work is important – whether the work is what we do on our job or what we do at home. Many of us have so many important tasks to…

  Marian

  January 9, 2012

  Goals, Personal Retreats

  accomplishments, getting organized, goals, monday mornings, personal retreat, to-do lists, whispering winds