Category: Reflections

• A 50-cent Thrill

    I learned a new word last week – “mirabilary.” Well, it’s not exactly a new word – just new to me. The dictionary (if you can even find it in your dictionary) says it’s obsolete. The 101-year-old 1913 edition of Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defined it as, “One who, or a work which, narrates…

  Marian

  April 8, 2014

  Assisted Living, Book Recommendations, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  50 cents, 50-cent thrill, assisted living, awakened living, bolt out of the blue, Book of Wonders, daily devotions, devotional book, divine visitation, Edward Hays, God’s love, joy, kind deeds, kindness, life challenges, lightning, listening for God, love your neighbor, Madison Symphony Orchestra, mirabilaries, mirabilary, Overture Center, parking garage, parking meter, reflections, spirituality, talking with God, two quarters, unexpected kindness, wonder-worker, wonderstruck

• Ashamed

  I’ve never been as ashamed of my evangelical roots as I’ve been this past week. Although I am currently a Lutheran with fairly liberal leanings on social issues, nothing ever has been more important to me than loving God and loving my neighbors on earth as a demonstration of that love. As an infant, I…

  Marian

  April 1, 2014

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  ashamed, bullying, bullying by evangelicals, evangelical bullies, evangelicals, gay marriage, God’s love, humanitarian efforts, kindness, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, personnel policy, reflections, same-sex marriage, spirituality, sponsor a child, sponsor children, talking with God, Wheaton College, World Vision

• We Laughed and Laughed and Laughed

  

  Some of my fondest memories of my parents are of Mim and me sitting together with them around the dining room table, talking about our everyday lives, and laughing and laughing and laughing. In the 1970s and 1980s when Mim and I lived in Chicago, we drove to Wisconsin to visit my parents about once every…

  Marian

  March 25, 2014

  Assisted Living, Book Recommendations, God’s Love, Reflections

  All for one and one for all, Apache creation story, assisted living, be always grateful, be joyful always, Chasing Joy, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, Edward Hays, friends, God’s love, happy times, hospitality, invincible joy, joy, laughed, laughing, laughter, pray always, reflections, sharing joy, spirituality, talking with God, Three Musketeers

• The Blessings of Awful Stories in the Bible

  There are some pretty awful stories in the Bible – like the story of Tamar in Genesis. She was a young widow who disguised herself as a temple prostitute in order to entrap her father-in-law into having sex with her so that she would have a son. Have you ever wondered why that story is…

  Marian

  March 18, 2014

  God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Music, Reflections

  awful Bible stories, awful stories, fairness, friends, God’s love, hard decisions, hymn sing, jail ministry, joy, kindness, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, praying for each other, reflections, sharing our stories, sharing stories, singing together, spirituality, talking with God, Tamar, tough decisions, worship service

• I had a dream

  One night last week I dreamed I was hurrying as fast as I could. I was at an airport, Philadelphia, I think. I was alone, running to find my gate to catch my flight.  I made a quick stop in one of the restrooms on my way. Then I continued running toward my gate, carrying…

  Marian

  March 11, 2014

  Book Recommendations, Reflections

  Alan Fadling, An Unhurried Life, dream, fasting, giving up hurry, God’s love, hurry, hurrying, Jan Persson, kindness, Lent, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, Northwest Industries, not hurrying, Philadelphia, Philadelphia airport, reflections, rushing, spirituality, Stephen A. Macchia, talking with God

• Hurry Up!

  Yesterday morning, after breakfast, Abbey and I went outside for our usual morning walk. The sun was shining in a clear blue sky, but the temperature was 8 below zero. I put on my winter boots, bundled up with my down-filled jacket and pulled the hood over my head. Abbey waited patiently while I slipped…

  Marian

  March 4, 2014

  Book Recommendations, Lent, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  Abbey, Alan Fadling, An Unhurried Life, conversation with Abbey, daily devotions, eating snow, fast from hurry, fasting for Lent, fasting from hurry, hurry, hurry up, Jesus Calling, joy, leisurely pace, Lent, life challenges, listening for God, morning walk, perfect word, reflections, sarah young, spirituality

• Let the birthdays begin!

  Let the birthdays begin! Anna, the first of our trio of 92-year-olds, celebrated her 93rd birthday on Sunday. I asked her how she felt about turning 93. Her response: “I don’t feel like I’m that old. It’s just a number. It doesn’t mean anything. Life is good.” Carolyn will turn 93 in June, and Marty…

  Marian

  February 25, 2014

  Assisted Living, Celebrations, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  92-year-olds, 93rd birthday, Anna, art of living, assisted living, birthday, birthdays, colored pencils, Country Comforts Assisted Living, Daisaku Ikeda, day care, East Madison Monona Coalition on Aging, EMMCA, friends, Herman Melville, journey to wisdom, kindness, know how to grow old, let the birthdays begin, life calling, life changes, master work of wisdom, Reaching Out Respite, reflections, spirituality, wisdom

• My Thoughts on Last Weekend’s Big Event

  Not the Super Bowl – Church! Last week, as I was planning music for church, I read the lectionary readings for Sunday, as I usually do. I was happy to see that two of the three readings were among my favorites. The Old Testament reading was Micah 6:1-8, which ends with the well-known verse: What…

  Marian

  February 4, 2014

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

  Beatitudes, Blessed are the merciful, Blessed are the poor in spirit, emptying the ocean, fairness, God’s love, how little I understand, humble, humility, kindness, know we are Christians by our love, life challenges, Lord I Want to Be a Christian, love your neighbor, Messiah Church, Micah, Pastor Jeff, plastic bucket, reflections, spirituality, St. Augustine, The Beatitudes, walk humbly with your God

• I can’t put it off any longer

  It’s time. I added it to my to-do list on January 1, 2014. It’s well past time to pull out the 13 bulging folders from the file drawer, the folders labeled “January 2013” through “December 2013” and “Misc. Tax Info.” I haven’t clicked on the QuickBooks icon on my desktop since last February, when I…

  Marian

  January 28, 2014

  Goals, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  accounting, Chasing Joy, Edward Hays, getting organized, goals, ironing shirts, life challenges, Mark Twain, Pablo Picasso, Presbyterian Student Center, procrastinating, procrastination, put off until tomorrow, putting it off, QuickBooks, reflections, reward, the day after tomorrow, to-do list, University of Chicago

• Another Anniversary. Another Time of Joy.

  This week, 25 years ago – 1989, was a pretty spectacular week. It was a week of beautiful weather, a January thaw. Mim and I were living in Chicago, on the second floor of a two-flat. Mim was teaching nursing at North Park College, and I was self-employed as a business systems consultant. But neither…

  Marian

  January 21, 2014

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Reflections

  Adventures in Hospitality, anniversary, Blessing Ceremony, champagne, Commitment Ceremony, friends, God’s love, hospitality, joy, life calling, life changes, Moet and Chandon, perfect word, reflections, spirituality, wedding, wedding anniversary