Tag: reflections
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Remembering the past and getting excited about the present
Saturday evening Mim and I went to a fancy Italian restaurant for dinner. We celebrated forty years of living together. As many of you know, Mim and I met forty years ago at a church Bible Study. I had just been offered a job in Chicago and was staying with a friend for a few…
Marian
40th anniversary, Abbey, anniversary, author website, blogging, books, Buffalo Ice Cream Parlor, change in my life, daily devotions, devotional book, friends, Gary Gopher, God’s love, Gregory Goose, hospitality, kindness, life calling, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, reflections, reflections on everyday life, remembering the past, spirituality, talking with God, WestBow Press, writing -
Helping Someone
Last Thursday I participated in the worship service in the County Jail again. There were 11 of us women sitting together in the circle – the chaplain, myself, and nine inmates. The New Testament reading was the last chapter of Romans. We went around the circle, each of us reading one verse. Here’s how the…
Marian
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Enjoying Gifts – Both Yours and Mine
Yesterday I saw and heard something wonderful! Mim and I went to the Overture Center in Madison to hear the Madison Symphony Orchestra perform with Gabriela Montero as guest pianist. I had never heard of Gabriela Montero before yesterday, but she was going to play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and we knew we would…
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Reflections on Christmas from a Church Organist
It’s over. The busiest time of the year for everyone, but especially for church organists, is over. As I look back over this holy season, what were the highlights for me? Celebrating Christmas together with our church family at Messiah Lutheran Church. I played the organ for the 10:00 service on Christmas Eve. This is…
Marian
accompanying singing, Christmas Carol Sing, Christmas Carols, Christmas music, Christmas season, church musician, church organist, church pianist, congregational singing, East Koshkonong Lutheran Church, God’s love, hymn sing, jail ministry, leading singing from the organ, leading singing from the piano, listening for God, Messiah Lutheran Church, playing the organ, reflections, spirituality, talking with God, whispering winds -
Making Progress
For thousands of years, from Abraham to Paul, God has been trying to teach us about hospitality – both by example and by instruction. From my mom to Mim, God has been teaching me to pay attention to all of these lessons. My second book, Come, Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest: Adventures in Hospitality, is…
Marian
accomplishments, Adventures in Hospitality, Christmas Mountain, Come Lord Jesus Be Our Guest, devotional book, God’s love, Greyhound Bus Station, hospitality, kindness, learning curve, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, reflections, spirituality, strangers, talking with God, writing, writing retreat -
Transition Time
It’s official. Whispering Winds Retreat Haven is on break. As of the first of the year, the farmhouse will be home to another family for at least two years. In January of 2015, the farmhouse may reclaim the name of Whispering Winds and come back to life as a B&B-style retreat center again, or it…
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All I Want for Christmas
In the 1950s, the day the SEARS CHRISTMAS CATALOG arrived in the mail was just about the best day of the year. I’d sit down in the living room, flip to the toy section, and spend the next hour or two looking at all the toys, page after page after page. When I got to…
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“Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope”
One of the first shows I went to see when I lived in Chicago was, “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope.” It was a musical review with songs about major themes of the 1970s – student protests, ghetto life, black power, and feminism. The musical style was a blend of gospel, jazz, soul, calypso, and…
Marian
bed and breakfast, building codes, building inspector, change in my life, Country Comforts, Don’t bother me, fairness, farmhouse, God’s love, handgun, handicapped accessible, I can’t cope, Job’s suffering, killing option, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, massacre, methods of coping, powerless, reflections, spirituality, state regulators, talking with God, wheelchair accessible -
The Price of Kindness and Gas
About noon on Friday I left Christmas Mountain in Wisconsin Dells to drive home for the weekend. I’ll return today (Monday) for three more days of my 10-day writing retreat. I’d made the reservations for this writing retreat a couple months ago. Since then a few things have come up for the weekend that required…
Marian
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The Life of a Farmhouse
When I was a kid, I’d occasionally watch “Captain Kangaroo” on TV. One of the characters on the show was Grandfather Clock. He was a tall, normal-looking grandfather clock, except he had a cartoon-like face and he talked. He often talked about whatever was on his mind and how he felt about it. I thought…
Marian
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