Tag: reflections

• A Dramatic First Entry to My Gratitude Jar

  Last week I wrote about the special words Mim, Floey, and I chose for 2015. Mim’s word is WAIT. Floey’s is LEARN. And mine is GRATITUDE. More readers responded to that post than usual, and I really appreciated reading your comments. One friend asked me if I had ever heard of a “Gratitude Jar?” I…

  Marian

  January 13, 2015

  Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  accident, Beltline, car accident, God’s love, gratitude, gratitude jar, jail, life challenges, McDonalds, Mim, reader response, reflections, slick roads, slippery roads, snowplow, spirituality, talking with God, tow truck, Woodmans, word for 2015

• New Words for 2015

  After one year’s experience, I’ve decided that I really like the idea of having one special word to focus on for a whole year, as an alternative to making New Year’s resolutions. Last year’s word for me was JOY. Knowing that JOY was what I would concentrate on every day from January 1, 2014 through…

  Marian

  January 6, 2015

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

  assisted living, beginner class, Corrie ten Boom, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, four-legged caregiver, God’s love, God-given gifts, gratitude, Holly Whitcomb, joy, learn, life challenges, listening for God, new words, New Year’s Resolution, Pablo Picasso, puppy class, reflections, selfie, Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting, special word, spirituality, talking with God, wait, waiting, words for 2015

• JOY – My Special Word for 2014

  “Abbey, Mim & Me – Our Special Words for 2014” was the first blog post I wrote this year. I explained that rather than coming up with any New Year’s resolutions for 2014, I would spend the year focusing on JOY. The idea of choosing one special word to focus on for a whole year…

  Marian

  December 30, 2014

  Assisted Living, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, New Year

  92-year-olds, 93-year-olds, Abbey, assisted living, blogging, Christmas Mountain, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, Debbie Macomber, enough, Floey, friends, God’s love, gratitude, joy, life challenges, listening for God, mini-vacations, nonagenarian, One Perfect Word, perfect word, play, reflections, special word, spirituality, talking with God, the joy of the Lord, The Theory of Everything

• The Worst Sin of All according to Floey

  My new dog Floey and I are still getting to know each other. Christmas Day will mark the one month anniversary of Floey’s adoption date. Mim and I and all of our 93-year-olds are so happy that she joined our family. Floey loves all of us, but it’s clear that I am her favorite. She…

  Marian

  December 23, 2014

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

  case weather, cash crop, christmas, Christmas shopping, commercialization of Christmas, daily devotions, devotional book, Edward Hays, Floey, foggy days, generosity, generous, God’s love, Indian Reservation, kindness, lath, life challenges, moral code, Native American, North American Indian, raising tobacco, reflections, stinginess, stingy, stripping tobacco, tobacco, worst sin

• The Best Family Tradition of All – Baking Christmas Cookies!

  For the month of December, Joan Chittister has been focusing on the role of traditions in our lives in her pamphlet, The Monastic Way. On December 11 she said: Traditions are meant to develop us emotionally, one layer of understanding at a time. It is our traditions – the Easter eggs, the Christmas trees –…

  Marian

  December 16, 2014

  Celebrations, Christmas, God’s Love, Reflections

  Berliner Kranzer, center of our souls, Christmas cookies, Christmas tradition, cookie cutouts, family tradition, gingerbread cookies, God’s love, God-given gifts, Joan Chittister, Kringla, krumkake, listening for God, love your neighbor, mixed marriage, peppernuts, reflections, spirituality, sugar cookies, talking with God, tradition

• Living inside a Broadway Musical

  Last weekend was like living inside a Broadway musical – like “The Sound of Music.” Life wasn’t an opera – our conversations were spoken, not sung – but the whole weekend seemed to flow from one musical moment to the next. It’s almost like we were taking the message of the Psalms – to sing…

  Marian

  December 9, 2014

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

  Advent candles, Away in a manger, Beverly Taylor, Broadway musical, Christmas Carol Sing, Christmas Carol Sing-along, Christmas Carols, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, God’s love, Hallelujah Chorus, Hutchison, hymn sing, I thank you Lord for each new day, Joy to the World, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah, Madison Symphony Choir, Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Symphony Christmas concert, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Youth Choirs, Messiah Lutheran Church, Monona Senior Choir, Mt. Zion Gospel Choir, music, O Come All Ye Faithful, Overture Center organ, Overture Hall, reflections, Sam Hutchison, Silent Night, sing praises, Sing to the Lord, sing with the angels, sing-along, spirituality, The First Nowell, The Sound of Music, Winter Underwear, Winter Wonderland

• Bucket List for Advent

  The best thing about Facebook is that it has provided a means to reconnect with several people from my past. One of those connections is Claudia, an old friend from my freshman year in college. I haven’t seen her in almost 50 years. Our only communication had been Christmas cards, until we somehow found each…

  Marian

  December 2, 2014

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

  Advent, Advent bucket list, bucket list, Bucket List for Advent, Casita Copan, chain of blessing, christmas, Christmas cookies, Facebook, Floey, Giving Tuesday, God’s love, kindness, listening for God, love your neighbor, red kettle, reflections, Salvation Army, spirituality, waiting

• Abbey Still Has More to Say

  In my imagination, Abbey has been talking to me over the last couple weeks. Her spirit is still very much alive. “Mom,” she said, “I was really sad to leave you, and I still think about you a lot. But I’ve also been really busy exploring heaven. You can’t imagine all the smells there are…

  Marian

  November 25, 2014

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

  Abbey, Animal Rescue and Vet Support Services, ARVSS, assisted living, blogging, caregiver, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, dog adoption, dogification of love, Floey, Florence Nightingale, God’s love, Help Wanted, imagination, kindness, life changes, love your neighbor, loving companion, personification of love, reflections, spirituality, talking with God, thankful, Thanksgiving, working dog

• 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

• The Dogs in My Life

  God so loved the world that she gave us dogs. The first dog in my life was Teddy. He was a big brown and white collie mix that lived in the barn. He only came into the house occasionally to warm up, when it was really cold outside. My dad had trained him to be…

  Marian

  November 11, 2014

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

  Abbey, Anti-Cruelty Society, Bullet, collie mix, cousin dogs, gentleness, german shepherd, God spelled backwards, God’s love, God-given gifts, golden retriever, herding instincts, kindness, life calling, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, Maia, mass in her brain, Megabyte, Mollie, my dogs, people friends, purpose on earth, reflections, Rin Tin Tin, Rinny, slow-growing mass, spirituality, talking with God, Tammy, Teddy, Tippy, wisdom