Tag: thankful

• Gratitude and Surprises

  

  “Gratitude” has been an interesting word to think about for a whole year. Last December when I chose “Gratitude” to be my special word to ponder for 2015 (instead of making any New Year’s Resolutions), I had no idea how much my perspective on everyday life would be altered by thinking about being grateful every…

  Marian

  November 30, 2015

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

  best new thing, grateful, gratitude, gratitude jar, Hy-Vee, Jeff Vanden Heuvel, Jesus Calling, Pastor Jeff, pray without ceasing, praying together, sarah young, special word, thankful, thankfulness, timeshare, Wisconsin Dells

• Gratitude for Thanksgivings Past

  

  One day last week when Mim and I were out walking Floey, Mim asked me, “Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving this year?” I thought for a minute, and then replied, “Not really. I’m not dreading it, but I’m not excited about it. We don’t really have any special plans. Oh, we’ll have a nice…

  Marian

  November 24, 2015

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

  candy corn, family Thanksgiving traditions, gratitude, Happy Thanksgiving, Jesus Calling, mixed nuts, nut cups, peanuts, sarah young, thankful, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving in Chicago, Thanksgiving pizza, Thanksgiving tradition, tiny treasures, tradition, turkey dinner, working with mom

• Grinning from Ear to Ear

  

  Floey greeted me as I walked in the door. “Hey, Mom, welcome home. But why do you have such a big smile on your face? I thought you were at a funeral.” “You’re right, Floey. I was at a funeral. It was the fifteenth funeral I’ve played the organ for so far this year. It…

  Marian

  September 29, 2015

  God’s Love, Reflections

  compliment, efficient, Filet-of-Fish, Floey, funeral, gratitude, greeting, grining from ear to ear, happiness, McDonalds, meal deal, mission in life, special word, thankful

• 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

• Thinking too hard

  Sometimes, I think, I think too much. I think too hard about choices as I try to determine what is best. For example,  today I’m trying to decide whether to write my blog about what some inmates said the last time we shared a worship service in the jail chapel, or to write about some…

  Marian

  November 26, 2013

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Reflections

  Abbey, Be still and know that I am God, choosing music, Christ the King, Christ the King Sunday, Delores Dufner, different kind of king, Dr. Edman, emperor of Ethiopia, God’s love, Haile Selassie, jail ministry, listening for God, O Christ what can it mean for us, postludes, preludes, Presence of the King, reflections, second chance, serving communion, spirituality, talking with God, thankful, thankful for jail, Thanksgiving, thinking, V. Raymond Edman, Wheaton College, worship experience, worship service

• 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

• 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…

  Marian

  January 21, 2013

  God’s Love, Music, Reflections

  Gabriela Montero, gift, gifts of the Spirit, God’s love, God-given gifts, improvisation, listening for God, Madison Symphony Orchestra, piano concerto, reflections, talking with God, thankful, thankfulness, whispering winds

• Being Thankful Today – not just on Thanksgiving

  Today’s about as far from Thanksgiving as you can be in a year, but I want to talk about being thankful anyway. Being thankful was on my mind a lot last week. On Thursday, I went to the county jail again to play the piano for the women inmate’s worship service. During the testimony time,…

  Marian

  May 21, 2012

  Book Recommendations, Celebrations, God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Life’s Challenges, Nature, Reflections

  asparagus, book recommendation, daily gratitude, farmhouse, God’s love, goldfinch, gratitude, jail ministry, life challenges, Mother’s Day, nina lesowitz, reflections, rose bed, roses, seasons, spirituality, thankful, Thanksgiving, whispering winds