Tag: kindness

• 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

• The Three Nonagenarians

  Three 92-year-old women walk into a bar – an artist, a nun, and a state legislator. The bartender asks what he can get them. The artist wants a cup of herbal tea; the nun wants half a glass of milk; and the legislator asks for one glass of red wine – specifically, Menage a Trois.…

  Marian

  February 11, 2014

  Assisted Living

  92-year-olds, Adventures in Hospitality, assisted living, companions, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, friends, God’s love, hospitality, joy, kindness, life calling, life challenges, life changes, life stages, listening for God, love your neighbor, nonagenarian, reflections, spirituality, stage in life, talking with God, three nonagenarians

• 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

• Happiness Engineer – One of My Favorite Job Titles

  Last week I received an email from someone with the job title of “Happiness Engineer.” It made me smile. The email was from WordPress, the Internet service I use for hosting this blog. Earlier in the week I had contacted WordPress through their website to let them know that I had been charged twice on…

  Marian

  January 14, 2014

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

  blogging, Dagmar Vasby, dysfunctional analyst, goals, God’s love, God-given gifts, happiness engineer, hospitality, Joan Chittister, job title, kindness, life calling, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, Mary Cassatt, Monastic Way, reflections, self portrait, spirituality, the Messiah, Who do you say that I am, WordPress

• Another Year-End Conversation with Abbey

  Abbey had been sitting on the floor next to the patio door, staring out at the pond for a long time. It was snowing again. Big flakes were drifting down, adding to the eight inches already on the ground. I wondered if she was as tired of the snow as I was. I called to…

  Marian

  December 31, 2013

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

  Abbey, friends, gay marriage, gift of love, God’s love, Happy New Year, kindness, life challenges, life changes, love your neighbor, loving each other, New Year, New Year’s Day, Piper, polarization, political polarization, politics, reflections, spirituality, Tucker, understanding each other

• Success! I finally memorized it!

  “Jesus loves me, this I know … “That’s the first song I memorized as a child. That’s a song little children still memorize today. Sometimes when I’m practicing the piano or organ at church, a little child will timidly walk up to me to watch me play. I’ll stop what I’m playing and invite the…

  Marian

  December 17, 2013

  God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  accomplishments, Adventures in Hospitality, Come Lord Jesus, daily devotions, Dan Korth, God’s love, Helen Hunt Jackson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, hospitality, Jesus loves me, Joan Chittister, John 3:16, kindness, life challenges, love your neighbor, memorization, memorizing Bible verses, memorizing poems, October’s Bright Blue Weather, Pledge of Allegiance, reflections, spirituality, The Monastic Way, to make life better for everyone, village blacksmith, women inmates

• Sibling Rivalry – We’re at it Again!

  Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring, quite often the hard way.  [Pamela Dugdale] My brother Danny was almost two years old when I was born. According to our mom’s notes in my baby book, Danny’s first reaction to me was “pretty baby Marian” as he watched…

  Marian

  November 12, 2013

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

  Anna Quindlan, brother, childhood memories, childhood squabbles, Dan Korth, Danny, Desmond Tutu, extended family, fairness, family memories, God’s gift, God’s gift to you, God’s love, kindness, life calling, life challenges, love your neighbor, love-hate relationship, Pamela Dugdale, reflections, same-sex marriage, sibling, sibling rivalry, siblings, spirituality, wedding reception, You don’t choose your family

• Remembering the Saints – the most significant people in my life who are now dead

    Thursday of this week is Halloween, the eve of All Saints Day. On Sunday, some churches will read a list of members of the congregation who have died over the past year. This is a time of year to remember the people who are no longer with us who have been significant to us…

  Marian

  October 29, 2013

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Music, Reflections, Reunions

  All Saints Day, Aunt Edith, Auntie Emma, Bill Leslie, change in my life, christmas, church organist, daily devotions, Edith Kenseth, Eileen Scott, Emma Prescott, family reunion, friends, God’s love, God-given gifts, Gospel pianist, Halloween, Helen Knoblauch, kindness, Marion Gilberts, Mark Hjermstad, Mary Borgerud, Mom’s love, Mother’s love, Nancy Kornelsen, reflections, Royal Bailie, saints, Selma Jacobson, significant people in my life, thankful, thankfulness, Thanksgiving

• Grace and a Failing Grade

  Pastor Jeff told a quick story at the end of the church service last week. An old friend of his, a priest, had died earlier in the week. This story was told at his funeral. The priest had been an English teacher in a Catholic high school. Many years ago, one of his students came…

  Marian

  October 22, 2013

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  athletic policy, Catholic high school, change in my life, Charles Stanley, English teacher, failing grade, fairness, friends, God’s gifts, God’s love, God-given gifts, grace, grace of God, high school, high school football, homework, homework assignments, kindness, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, Pastor Jeff, reflections, report card, school policies, spirituality, Tony Campolo, undeserved gifts

• Stumbling along in Life

  Abbey was lying on the floor beside my desk as I was going through emails. After about ten minutes, she looked up at me and asked, “Hey, Mom. Have a few minutes to talk?” “Sure, Abbey. What’s up?” “When we were out for our walk this morning, did you notice me stumble? I was prancing…

  Marian

  October 15, 2013

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  Abbey, change in my life, embarrassed, embarrassment, God tripped me, God’s love, God-given gifts, humility, kindness, life calling, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, patience, reflections, stumble, stumbling, talking with Abbey, talking with God, walking with Abbey