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Forgiveness – Challenge & Gift
I asked Pastor Joan Gunderman to write today’s blog post. Joan and I have been friends for 13 years, ever since she started coming to our first bed & breakfast, Country Comforts, in the late 1990’s. Joan is a Lutheran pastor, retreat leader, and spiritual director. Joan will be leading three retreats this summer at…
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Eight Questions
Eight Questions to think about: What wrongdoing is the hardest one for me to forgive? Why is growing old so hard to do, and why is maturity so under-valued? What is “centering prayer,” and is it something I should know about and maybe even do? Do I have any “spiritual gifts” – and if so,…
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Asparagus Story
The first edible sign of spring has arrived – asparagus. I discovered the first lonely stalk standing proud, about 8 inches tall, yesterday. Nearby were a few shorter stubs. There wasn’t quite enough for a meal, so the little clump is still standing. Asparagus was my mom’s favorite vegetable. She started a couple patches growing…
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The Repetition of “Firsts”
Yesterday I picked our first bouquet of fresh flowers from the beds that surround Whispering Winds – an 18″ sprig of bright yellow forsythia standing tall above seven pale yellow daffodils. The fresh bouquet was the centerpiece in the living room for our hymn sing yesterday. The day before, the daffodils weren’t open yet. The…
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More from the Goose Family
The Goose family has been faithfully practicing over the past few weeks for the hymn sing coming up this Sunday. Yesterday was such a beautiful day that I decided to walk out to the pond to talk with them. There were robins and finches in the trees around the pond, so the gospel quartet of…
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Reflection on a Good Old Hymn
Over the past few weeks I’ve been writing reflections on Lenten hymns for our e-retreat entitled “The Scandal of Lent.” Throughout Lent I plan to write a total of nine reflections about Lenten music, and Pastor Joan will write the same number of reflections about themes presented in the book The Scandal of Lent by…
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The Goose Family Returns
Gregory and Grace, Gilbert and Gloria flew back to our pond last week. I was so happy to see them. It’s an early sign of spring. But it’s also just fun to see our old friends again. I took a few pictures to be able to spread the news that they’re back. I asked Gloria…
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“I Saw Jesus”
Early one morning a few days ago, I walked by Emma’s* room on my way to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I heard Emma talking, so I stepped inside her room to be sure she was okay. Emma is one of our two assisted living residents. She is 91, has dementia, and…
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Work and Reward
I did it! I survived last week! Once a year I have a week filled with something I hate to do – accounting. Throughout the other 51 weeks of the year, I simply put all receipts, invoices, and any other papers that look important for tax reasons into file folders, one for each month. Then…
Whispering Winds Blog
Taking Time to be still and listen for God
Whispering Winds Blog 