Whispering Winds Blog

Floey and I Have a New Theme Song

The first thing I do after I get dressed in the morning, before I go upstairs for breakfast, is light a few candles in the sitting area of my office, and do some devotional reading for maybe half an hour to an hour. It’s a good way to start my day. I sit in the…

Marian

June 13, 2017

Book Recommendations, God’s Love, Music, Reflections

devotions, Floey, Good Shepherd, herding sheep, Hymns for Personal Devotions, Jerry B. Jenkins, Jesus as a shepherd, Jesus’ sheepdog, lost sheep, Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us, theme song
This Is the Day

Last week I posted a blog entry called “Progress.” It was an update on the progress I’m making on my latest writing project, a devotional series based on my favorite hymns. The first part of the series will be a booklet of reflections based on 31 of my favorite Psalm-based hymns. My first draft of…

Marian

May 9, 2017

Music, Reflections

call and response, Christmas Mountain, favorite hymns, Jesus Always, Listening for God in Music, Psalm, Psalm 100, Psalm 118, Psalm-based hymn, sarah young, This is the day, writing project
Progress

Last week I was at our Christmas Mountain timeshare in Wisconsin Dells again for a 4-day, solitary getaway. I packed heavier than usual this time. It took me 9 trips to bring everything from the car into the condo. I had one small suitcase with a few clothes, 3 briefcases full of books and notebooks,…

Marian

May 2, 2017

Music, Reflections

All People that on Earth Do Dwell, Anglo-Genevan Psalter, Catherine Winkworth, Christmas Mountain, David the Psalmist, devotional book, Doxology, favorite hymns, getaway, gift of music, God’s gift of music, Halle Halle, Halle Halle Hallelujah, hymnbook, hymnbook of the Bible, hymns, Joachim Neander, King David, Listening for God in Music, Marty Haugen, Old Hundredth, Praise to the Lord the Almighty, Psalm 100, Psalmist, Psalms, retreat, Thomas Ken, timeshare, William Kethe, writing project, writing retreat
Remember Me?

Eight months ago I stopped publishing my blog every week. Now I post an entry sporadically, averaging about one a month. The one thing I’ve been consistent about is always publishing on Tuesday morning. Today that tradition ends, too. It’s Friday. Specifically, it’s Good Friday, and there’s something on my mind that I want to…

Marian

April 14, 2017

Celebrations, God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Lent, Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections

criminal request, Dane County Jail, Good Friday, Good Friday devotion, Holy Week, important in God’s eyes, important to God, jail ministry, Jesus remember me, Lenten Devotion, Lenten Devotional booklet, Messiah Church, Messiah Lutheran Church
Trying to Remember a Song

Do you ever have one of those songs that keeps running through your mind, over and over and over again, but you can’t quite remember the whole song? That’s happening to me right now. Actually, the song has been going through my mind for over a week, and I just can’t remember the whole thing.…

Marian

March 14, 2017

Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections

365 favorite hymns, Blessed is the Man, choir, choral anthem, church choir, conversation with God, devotional book, he who sings prays twice, hymnary.org, King James Bible, praying twice, Psalm 1, Psalm 23, remembering a song, shepherd, Sing to the Lord, St. Augustine, what’s special about music, whoever sings prays twice
It’s Complicated, Floey. But Kindness is what matters.

“Floey, you’re barking so loud I can’t think. What’s wrong?” “Don’t you see him, Mom? Look. Across the pond. A stranger is walking along our trail. What do you think he’s up to? He doesn’t belong here!” “Oh, I see him. That must be the trapper our neighbor Tom told me about.” “What??? A trapper!…

Marian

February 21, 2017

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

barking, complicated, Fill us with your love, fish, Floey, God will take care of you, goose family, Jesu, Jesu Jesu Fill Us with Your Love, neighbor, neighborhood, otter, pond, refugee, relocate, trapper
Something I Started To Think about in Fifth Grade

I was about ten years old when I first tried to understand what the terms “socialism” and “capitalism” meant. My fifth grade teacher was Mrs. Borgerud, and she very patiently tried to explain to the class the core beliefs of each political/economic system. Back in the ‘50s, we all knew that the United States was…

Marian

January 31, 2017

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

America first, capitalism, do justice, early church, fifth grade, inconsistencies, justice, kindness, Love Kindness, Mary Borgerud, me-first, mercy, Mrs. Borgerud, role of government, selfishness, socialism, walk humbly, work hard
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
Jean: One of My Heroes

I met Jean Gunnulson 17 years ago. I had just agreed to be a substitute organist at the Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, and we were having our first music planning meeting. Four of us gathered together at 9:00 one morning in the church office – Pastor Dave, Cathy, Jean and myself. The first thing I learned…

Marian

December 13, 2016

Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections

Allen organ, Borning Cry, Children’s clothing, church organist, floppy disk, hymn selection, Indian Reservation, inspiring people, Jean Gunnulson, midi, music planning meeting, Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, organist, substitute organist