Inside the Minds of Valerie and Mike (and Anna)
Advent Vespers at Home It’s Advent. It’s the end of an unusually tough calendar year. It’s the beginning of a new liturgical year for the church. It will also soon be a new calendar year. Advent is a season pregnant with hope. It’s a liminal time of watching, waiting, and wondering (this year's theme for... Continue Reading →
Earlier this week I went up to our local Lutheran camp and retreat center, Mar-Lu Ridge, for a morning of quilt assembling. After we were all done, before I drove home, I went into the chapel. The chapel is an A-frame structure with a wall of glass behind the altar that faces west with a... Continue Reading →
That was the question put to me recently by my pastor. My initial answer…I didn’t know. Words were, are, failing me at this moment. Of course the question and answers simmered after we hung up. The short answer would be the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful. At the moment, do I have a... Continue Reading →
Last weekend my boyfriend and I had a virtual date night. We decided that we would watch a movie together using the new Netflix Party feature. The only problem was we didn’t know what to watch. My dad had suggested to me earlier that we watch Shawshank Redemption, and because it is a classic that... Continue Reading →
Last year, Advent started with a weekend retreat focused on choosing hope, peace, joy, love, and life. It truly was life-giving even if it was a full and tiring weekend; and it carried into the whole season. This year, Advent carries some weight of Lent. Maybe that Lenten feeling is connected to a realization from... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, on Facebook, I reposted a meme (see below) that called into question the religious right's war on "the war on Christmas." At the time, I simply posted it because I resonated with sentiment and want to share it. But as I thought about it some more after posting it, I decided that I would... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago, I listened to a podcast episode titled “What Are We Doing and Why Are We Doing It?” This podcast is an ELCA Youth Ministry Network creation. You can listen to it here, https://www.elcaymnet.org/3tcepisode11. In this particular episode, while the focus was on youth ministry, the topic really applies to the... Continue Reading →
I have been very tired for the last two days. As a result, I failed to meditate on Saturday and only attempted 10 minutes yesterday. I returned to 20 minutes today but tried something different. I sat in the truck outside work after my commute but before heading inside. (I didn't want to do this... Continue Reading →
I haven't been good about blogging over the last few days, but I only skipped one day of meditation—I was just too tired yesterday evening. Since the last time I wrote, however, I exchanged emails with one of my friends who was part of the inspiration for me to try meditation. After reading through my... Continue Reading →
Today's practice marked two... what? ... milestones perhaps? I hit my target of 20 minutes. Moreover, I did so without almost no thought of time during my period of meditation. Early on I was cognizant of the increased duration and wondered very briefly if I would be able to keep from thinking about it as... Continue Reading →
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