I just got back from leading a PRN retreat at our Texas site. It's located off of Route 30 about 100 miles east of Dallas...a beautiful place this time of the year. They have had lots of the rain and the wildflowers are plentiful...several appeared out of no where during the short 6 days I was there. The staff at the Inn is fabulous and friendly plus they serve wonderful meals three times a day like clockwork...all I had to do was show up and enjoy. I tooks lots of walks, explored some in the area, read a lot, and enjoyed quiet time with God.
I am hooked on the slide shows ~ enjoy the latest from Texas!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Heart Friends March 2008
Just who are the Heart Friends? A collection of remarkable women who connected during their years at West Point. Over time they have stayed in touch thru phone calls, e-mail and yearly gatherings (now twice a year gatherings). We just enjoyed a fabulous time on the beach in Wilmington, North Carolina. It was a grand time of laughing, sharing, praying, eating, being...and it is precious to each of us.
Right now I am reading John Ortberg's book, EVERYBODY'S NORMAL TILL YOU GET TO KNOW THEM. In the first chapter he makes it clear that we are all weird, slightly irregular, damaged goods...all we like sheep have gone astray.
One of the great marks of maturity is to accept the fact that everybody comes 'as is.' We have been able to do that, and actually enjoy it. Our yearning to attach and connect, to love and be loved, makes that possible. John describes it as the fiercest longing of the soul.
He talks about a research project on relationships called the Alameda County Study that discovered the most isolated people were three times more likely to die than those with strong relational connections.
"People who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity, or alcohol use) but strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health habits but were isolated. In other words, IT IS BETTER TO EAT TWINKIES WITH GOOD FRIENDS THAN TO EAT BROCCOLI ALONE."
So, the Heart Friends gather and hope to live significantly long lives together!
Right now I am reading John Ortberg's book, EVERYBODY'S NORMAL TILL YOU GET TO KNOW THEM. In the first chapter he makes it clear that we are all weird, slightly irregular, damaged goods...all we like sheep have gone astray.
One of the great marks of maturity is to accept the fact that everybody comes 'as is.' We have been able to do that, and actually enjoy it. Our yearning to attach and connect, to love and be loved, makes that possible. John describes it as the fiercest longing of the soul.
He talks about a research project on relationships called the Alameda County Study that discovered the most isolated people were three times more likely to die than those with strong relational connections.
"People who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity, or alcohol use) but strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health habits but were isolated. In other words, IT IS BETTER TO EAT TWINKIES WITH GOOD FRIENDS THAN TO EAT BROCCOLI ALONE."
So, the Heart Friends gather and hope to live significantly long lives together!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
We have enjoyed a Winter Wonderland here in Wisconsin since the first part of December. On a bright, crisp, sunny day with blue skies it is really quite pretty. On a gray cloudy bitter cold day, not so much. I walk 3-4 miles (an hour) just about every day ~ until it gets down to zero. I draw the line when it gets below zero!
I started walking soon after Aimee was born at Fort Hood, Texas in 1976. Some of you might remember that when Aimee was 6 weeks old, Andy left for a 6 month tour of duty in Germany. He went again when Aimee was 18 months old. I had ample opportunity to develop a life long habit of walking every day during those two tours. Aimee loved being outside and was comfortable in the little umbroller stroller (I went thru two of them with each of the girls - ran the wheels right off of them).
The chapel above is on the campus of St. John's Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield (junion/senior high prep school). It is a beautful old campus dating back to 1884.The little white chapel below is on the main street in Delafield and is now a Lang Store. You can get a feel for how much snow we have had from the pile in the picture.
Walking with my new camera...
I enjoy walking around Nashotah House, a theological seminary of the Episcopal Church. It is just about half a mile from Cedarly. The seminary dates back to 1842 and I understand it was an outreach to the Native Americans in this area at one time as well.
This farm is on their property, too
These are shots of Cedarly... the one above is the Carriage House, dating back to the 1880's and the one below is the home at Cedarly which was built in 1910, taken from the lake side. Winter is a fabulous time to be at Cedarly for a week of retreat with the Lord.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Titles and Authors
Today I drove down to Miller Park to purchase baseball tickets for a Hagen Family Reunion this summer. On the way I listened to a Wisconsin Public Radio talk show. The guest said that statistics show young adults under 35, on average, read one book a year. That's pretty sad ~ and would indicate that most don't read any. Our two daughters and sons in law read a lot, so they would make up for the one book dozens of others are not reading. Me, I read at least a book a week...I enjoy it, generally have the time, and don't always sleep well. You will see in this post, I am not a very creative critic. But, I will offer you a variety of books I have enjoyed so far this year.
One of my goals in 2008 is to read more biographies or at least stories about real people and their experiences, challenges, and how they overcame hardship. I sort of wondered how I would find good ones. Our library here in Delafield is very small and crowded so I generally put books on hold over the Internet so I can just stop by and pick them up. I have been pleasantly surprised at how interesting biographies have come my way ~ recommendations from guests, references to them in blogs, and even a in a Christmas letter. Then, of course, there are my 11 Heart Friends around the country ~ they always have great suggestions. The more I read them, the more I seem to find...one boook leads to another.
QUIET STRENGTH (Tony Dungy)
THE MAN BEHIND NARNIA (C.S. Lewis)
DON'T BET AGAINST ME (Deanna Favre)
THREE CUPS OF TEA (Greg Mortensen)
LEAVING MICROSOFT TO CHANGE THE WORLD (John Woods)
These are the ones I have read so far ~ each one unique and quite different. Each individual facing a wide variety of hard things in their lives and each one with a different sphere of influence. I'm just about to start a 500+ page book called ABUNDANCE ~ a novel of Marie Antoinette. Care to join me?
I can't seem to stay away from novels tho, and have been introduced to three new authors in the new year. Angela Hunt helped Deanna Favre write her story and I decided to read one of Angela's novels. I'm hooked. So far I've read THE NOTE, THE NOVELEST, THE ELEVATOR, and UNCHARTERED. Hunt is very creative ~ there is nothing predicitable, there is no pattern, each one is completely different. I like her ~ can you tell?
Then I read HIDDEN IN TIME and A RIFT IN TIME by Michael Philllips. Wow, they were great. What's the impact on the world in finding Noah's Ark or the Garden of Eden? You, too, can find out. Philllips also wrote a series of books about two young girls, one white and one black, who survive the Civil War all alone ~ with a plantation to run, bills to pay, and maurauders to worry about.
And finally I got around to reading THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini. Oh, my...what a learning experience! Sections were hard to read ~ my life is so protected and so comfortable.
One of my goals in 2008 is to read more biographies or at least stories about real people and their experiences, challenges, and how they overcame hardship. I sort of wondered how I would find good ones. Our library here in Delafield is very small and crowded so I generally put books on hold over the Internet so I can just stop by and pick them up. I have been pleasantly surprised at how interesting biographies have come my way ~ recommendations from guests, references to them in blogs, and even a in a Christmas letter. Then, of course, there are my 11 Heart Friends around the country ~ they always have great suggestions. The more I read them, the more I seem to find...one boook leads to another.
QUIET STRENGTH (Tony Dungy)
THE MAN BEHIND NARNIA (C.S. Lewis)
DON'T BET AGAINST ME (Deanna Favre)
THREE CUPS OF TEA (Greg Mortensen)
LEAVING MICROSOFT TO CHANGE THE WORLD (John Woods)
These are the ones I have read so far ~ each one unique and quite different. Each individual facing a wide variety of hard things in their lives and each one with a different sphere of influence. I'm just about to start a 500+ page book called ABUNDANCE ~ a novel of Marie Antoinette. Care to join me?
I can't seem to stay away from novels tho, and have been introduced to three new authors in the new year. Angela Hunt helped Deanna Favre write her story and I decided to read one of Angela's novels. I'm hooked. So far I've read THE NOTE, THE NOVELEST, THE ELEVATOR, and UNCHARTERED. Hunt is very creative ~ there is nothing predicitable, there is no pattern, each one is completely different. I like her ~ can you tell?
Then I read HIDDEN IN TIME and A RIFT IN TIME by Michael Philllips. Wow, they were great. What's the impact on the world in finding Noah's Ark or the Garden of Eden? You, too, can find out. Philllips also wrote a series of books about two young girls, one white and one black, who survive the Civil War all alone ~ with a plantation to run, bills to pay, and maurauders to worry about.
And finally I got around to reading THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini. Oh, my...what a learning experience! Sections were hard to read ~ my life is so protected and so comfortable.
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