Easter in Virginia

Week at Selah Inn at the Ranch

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!

East Texas in Spring

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!

Heart Friends in Wilmington

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.