Category: Reflections

• The Time Machine in my Mind

  

  I think it was Albert Einstein who postulated that time is the fourth dimension – after length, width, and height. That intrigued me when I first heard the idea. I think I was in junior high. About the same time, I watched a TV episode of the “The Twilight Zone” that played with that idea.…

  Marian

  September 1, 2015

  Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  Albert Einstein, baling hay, childhood memories, Ecclesiastes, Farmall, Floey, fourth dimension, fruits of labor, gratitude, hay wagon, memories, time machine, time travel, time zone, tractor, Twilight Zone

• The Life of a Farmhouse Continues

  Last Thursday was a very big day for Mim and me. We sold our farmhouse. This is the farmhouse where I grew up, and where my mom grew up. The farm had been in my family for over a hundred years – since 1908. Mim and I moved to the farmhouse in 1992, after my…

  Marian

  August 25, 2015

  Goals, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  assisted living, Captain Kangaroo, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, Country Comforts Bed and Breakfast, farmhouse, FH, Grandfather Clock, hiatus, hospitality, house blessing, Martin Kenseth, moving out to pasture, peaceful, retreat house, Selma Jacobson, spiritual retreat center, stewardship, supportive living, welcoming guests, whispering winds, Whispering Winds Retreat Haven

• The Gift of a Lifetime

  Floey was sitting in the living room, in front of her house (crate), looking up at the painting on the wall. “Mom, can you believe it? Kitty painted a portrait of me! She’s such a wonderful neighbor. I just love to go see her. She often gives me MilkBones, but I can’t believe she loves…

  Marian

  August 18, 2015

  God’s Love, Reflections

  different gifts, Floey, four-legged queen, gift of a lifetime, God-given gifts, Kitty Epperson, portrait, Queen of Stone Meadows, queen of the neighborhood, regal, spiritual gifts, talents, The Message

• Friends and Relatives, Cats and Dogs

  How many friends and relatives, cats and dogs does it take to make one’s life wonderful? Hundreds. Maybe thousands. What it takes to make a life wonderful is to learn to appreciate – to be thankful for – the  enrichment each person and pet contributes to one’s life. During the last couple weeks, Mim and…

  Marian

  August 11, 2015

  Celebrations, E-Retreats, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  beer garden, cats and dogs, family reunion, friends and relatives, funeral, Jacobson family reunion, life wonderful, love your neighbor, Mim, Mim Jacobson, Moody’s Pub, neighbor, Roger Hovey, Ruth and Elaine, Ruth Robbins, wonderful life, Zoe

• And God Said …

  And God said, “Marian, wake up.” And I said, “But God, it’s only 3:00 a.m.” And God replied, “Of course I know what time you think it is. But you have a lot of work to do before the funeral at 11:00 this morning.” “O God, go away. More sleep is what I need most…

  Marian

  August 4, 2015

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

  bullies, bully, Cat Stevens, church music, dying bully, funeral music, God said, grieving bully, Morning Has Broken, sleepless, strumming guitar, The Message

• I’m Getting Smarter Every Day

  “Congratulations, Floey. You did it. You graduated from Intermediate Class at Dog’s Best Friend Training in Madison. I was surprised your teacher decided to award you your certificate, even though you will have to miss your last class. Apparently you learned everything you needed to know in five classes instead of six. Wow! I guess…

  Marian

  July 27, 2015

  Goals, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  accomplishments, Dog’s Best Friend Training, Floey, getting smarter, Intermediate Class, Joan Chittister, learned everything, Monastic Way, open-minded, open-mindedness, right way, The Monastic Way

• 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

• Shopping for a Tombstone

  So far this year I have had the privilege of playing the piano or organ for nine funerals. I typically play for between five and ten funerals a year – and it’s only July! In the 31 days from June 1 through July 1 of this year, I played for five of those funerals. Needless…

  Marian

  July 14, 2015

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

  “I know that my Redeemer lives”, “I love to tell the story”, Archie Monuments, Carl Korth, cemetery, comforting music, Elsie Korth, epitaph, funeral, funeral music, funerals, gravestone, Jimmy Carter, musical requests, praying hands, Through the Year with Jimmy Carter, tombstone, Wormeli

• Kindness or Foolish Generosity?

  There, I did it again. Two and a half years ago I gave $5 to a stranger who asked for a dollar or two to buy gas to get home for Christmas. I was at a McDonald’s parking lot just off the interstate between Cambridge and Wisconsin Dells. This time was just a couple weeks…

  Marian

  July 7, 2015

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  advice from Floey, conned, Floey, foolish generosity, generosity, homeless, Indian Reservation, kindness, Native American, panhandler, panhandling, stranger, wise insights

• Another Talk with My Friend Floey

  “Hey, Floey. What did you think about your new class last week?” Floey grinned at me and replied, “I loved it! When you first told me I would be going to another class, I really wondered why. I passed my class last winter with flying colors. I couldn’t imagine why you thought I needed to…

  Marian

  June 30, 2015

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Nature, Reflections

  different gifts, dog class, Floey, go to mat, God’s creation, human development, humans and animals, Intermediate Class, Joan Chittister, kinship with nature, Mim and her kittens, people and animals, people and dogs, relationship between humans and animals, soul, The Monastic Way, unawakened