Tag: Thanksgiving

• “Now Thank We All Our God”

  I’m almost done writing the first draft of my next book. My first two books in this series about the stories behind hymns were focused on hymns on a particular theme. My first book was a small book about the stories of 31 hymns that were based on the Psalms. My second book had 51…

  Marian

  November 16, 2020

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

  Catherine Winkworth, composer, Corona Virus, Covid-19, funeral, German, Germany, hymn writer, hymns, Martin Rinkart, Now Thank We All Our God, plague, Seasonal Hymns, table prayer, Thanksgiving, Thirty Years War, translator

• Is It Over Yet?

  Thanksgiving. Is it over yet? There are two parts to the word. THANKS: I think we did that last Thursday. And today is GIVING Tuesday. So we’re finishing up with THANKS-GIVING today. Good. It’s not over yet. I still have time to blog about “Thanksgiving.”  I spent the first and third weeks of November this…

  Marian

  November 27, 2018

  Celebrations, Music, Reflections

  Casita Copan, Christmas Mountain, Come Ye Thankful People Come, family of God, favorite charities, Giving Tuesday, God’s family, Henry Alford, hymn reflections, New Moms, parable, Parable of the Seed, Parable of the Wheat and Tares, Thanksgiving

• 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

• “Music . . . controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits”

  

  Now is the time to start singing and playing the big, powerful hymns of the church. It all started last Sunday – Reformation Sunday. Our opening hymn at Messiah Lutheran Church was A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. I tried to set the mood for it with a much louder than usual prelude – a simple…

  Marian

  October 27, 2015

  Assisted Living, Celebrations, God’s Love, Music, Reflections

  A Mighty FOrtress Is Our God, bold, boldness, church music, Holy Week, I have decided to follow Jesus, maple leaf, Martin Luther, noble art of music, Reformation, Sin boldly, Thanksgiving, Then Sings My Soul, tracing

• 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

• Learning to Count by 35

  Last week I did a lot of thinking. I was at our Christmas Mountain timeshare in Wisconsin Dells to focus on writing my book on hospitality. I’ve been working on this project for almost three years, and the end is finally in sight. My goal is to complete it by January 31. I think I…

  Marian

  November 19, 2012

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

  35, assisted living, change in my life, Christmas Mountain, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, getting organized, give thanks, give thanks in all circumstances, goals, God’s love, growing up, growing up on the farm, hospitality, life calling, life challenges, life changes, on the farm, reflections, selling eggs, spirituality, Thanksgiving, whispering winds, writing book

• 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