Tag: hospitality

• Seven To-Dos to Prepare for a Special Guest

  In one of my devotional readings this morning, the writer asked, “What would you do if you knew Jesus would be dropping in for a visit in five minutes?” There’s not a lot anyone can do in five minutes, so I decided to think about the question a little differently. “What would I do if […]

  Marian

  June 5, 2018

  Celebrations, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  almond brownies, clean house, fix dinner, google Mary and Martha, hospitality, invite guests, Mary and Martha, Mim, play piano, rhubarb coffee cake, sing praises to God, special guest, talk with Jesus, Talking with God through Music, to-do list, visit with Jesus, writing project

• 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

• Henry’s Story

  Henry is one of my heroes. I knew Henry for a total of about twelve years, starting in 2000. He wasn’t a perfect person. He had one significant flaw that I knew of – not being punctual. He lived by his internal clock, not his watch. But he taught me more about forgiveness, kindness, and […]

  Marian

  April 14, 2015

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  absolute commitment to serving God, accomplishments, Adventures in Hospitality, auction, auctioneer, clown, clown ministry, clowning, Country Comforts, forgiveness, friends, God’s love, God-given gifts, guardian, guardianship, heart transplant, Henry, Henry and Bob, Henry Hall, hospitality, kindness, legal guardian, life calling, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, ministry, organ transplant, parsonage, Peter Rooster, reflections, rooster, serving God, spirituality, Willerup, Willerup United Methodist Church

• Minor Characters in Our Life Stories

  In last week’s blog post I wrote about the Sunday dinners of my childhood. To keep the story short, I left out one of the minor characters in those dinners, Eva Frankson. I’ve been thinking about her ever since. Eva lived with Grandma. My grandma had a small house across the street from the west side […]

  Marian

  February 24, 2015

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  attic bedroom, bonus person, Eva, Eva Frankson, extra person in my life, farming accident, friends, God’s love, God-given gifts, grandma, Grandma and Eva, hospitality, kindness, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, quiet blessing, reflections, spirituality, Sunday dinner family

• How Mean Is That Doggie in the Mirror?

  Floey, who will turn one on January 24, barks ferociously every time she sees her reflection – whether it’s in a mirror, in a window at night, in the shiny black refrigerator door, or in the oven window. She sees that same dog everywhere! She knows there’s a dog on the other side of that “window” and she […]

  Marian

  January 20, 2015

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

  doggie, Floey, friends, get along, get along with each other, getting along, God’s love, hospitality, How kind is that person in the mirror, How mean is that doggie in the mirror, How much is that doggie in the window, kindness, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, mirror, reflection in window, reflection mirror, reflection of myself, reflections, Romans 15:5-6, spirituality, talking with God, The Message

• HELP WANTED: Canine Companion and Caregiver

  We took a vote – Mim and me and our three 93-year-olds. We want to get another dog as soon as we can. We don’t want to wait till spring, which was our original plan. Every time Anna comes home from one of her outside activities, she says, “I miss Abbey so much.” When we […]

  Marian

  November 18, 2014

  Assisted Living, God’s Love, Reflections

  Abbey, assisted living, assisted living family, canine, canine caregiver, canine companion, caregiver, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, dog adoption, friends, God’s love, Help Wanted, hospitality, Job Description, kindness, life calling, life-long position, Megabyte, mixed breed, reflections, spirituality, unlimited love

• A Pat on the Back

  This morning I looked at my beautiful old dog Abbey and said, “Hey, Abbey. Come over here a minute. I want to give you a pat on the back – not just a few pats on the head, a real pat on the back.” “Okay, Mom. Just a minute while I coax my legs to […]

  Marian

  September 9, 2014

  Assisted Living, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  93-year-olds, Abbey, Adventures in Hospitality, assisted living, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, daily devotions, Edward Hays, endless grandmas, endless supply of grandmas, God’s love, God-given gifts, grandmas, hospitality, kindness, life calling, life challenges, life changes, love, love your neighbor, old dog, reflections, spirituality, talking with God

• ENOUGH

  Last December when I told Mim about the idea of selecting a special word for the New Year instead of making any New Year’s resolutions, she caught my enthusiasm and decided to select a word for herself, too, a word that would help her keep focused on one particular area for spiritual enrichment throughout the […]

  Marian

  September 2, 2014

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  A Fruit Stall, Christian Century, concentrate on today, enough, enoughness, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, God’s love, God-given gifts, Helen Allingham, hospitality, Joan Chittister, just enough, kindness, life calling, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, manna, Monastic Way, reflections, sharing, spirituality, talking with God, The Christian Century, virtue of enoughness

• Lobster Fest Wisconsin Style

  Forty-three years ago I ate my first lobster. I had just completed my first year as a high school English teacher in Plainfield, Connecticut. The kids were done with school, but the teachers were required to show up one more day to grade final exams and turn in semester grades. None of us teachers really […]

  Marian

  August 19, 2014

  Assisted Living, Celebrations, Music, Reflections

  Adventures in Hospitality, blueberry buckle, Connecticut, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, English teacher, friends, God’s love, God-given gifts, Home Ec teacher, hospitality, how to eat lobster, joy, kindness, lobster, lobster boil, lobster feast, Lobster Fest, Lobster Fest Wisconsin Style, love your neighbor, Margaret and Don, mussels, ocean song, Plainfield, Puff the Magic Dragon, reflections, spirituality, steamed lobster

• What a Gift!

  It happened again Saturday morning. It doesn’t happen very often. But every once in a while I hear something so beautiful in a fantastic sort of way, that I can’t help it. My mouth forms itself into a huge smile, and it stays that way so long that my facial muscles begin to ache. That […]

  Marian

  July 22, 2014

  Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections

  Ahreum Han, Alfred Brendel, attitude, Can-Can, CanCan, coughing, God-given gifts, grin, hospitality, Jacques Offenbach, Jazz Preludes, Johannes Matthias Michel, kindness, life calling, life challenges, noisy bird, organ concert, Orpheus in the Underworld, Overture Center, pipe organ, reflections, smile, smiling muscles, sneezing