Category Archives: early morning thoughts

… learning to love…

Posted on June 4, 2021 by oct17

“I’m going to marry that guy,” I whispered to my friend in church when I first saw Tom; I was 16; he was 17. How could I possibly know? I have no idea… but I have spent my life thanking … Continue reading →

Posted in early morning thoughts, Marriage memos | Tagged Charlie Shedd, Deuteronomy 24:5, DISC, divorce, Enneagram, Gary Chapman, Letters to Karen, Letters to Philip, marriage, Myers Briggs, personality tests, Prevention and Relational Enhancement Program, Proverbs 23:12, The Five Love Languages | 3 Comments

… growing old…

Posted on April 15, 2021 by oct17

I remember hearing my Granny say, “I knew I would get old, but I never thought I would feel old.” I can see her now… staring out the window with sadness creeping through her wrinkles. I had no idea what … Continue reading →

Posted in early morning thoughts | Tagged ABC devotional guide, Grow old along with me, Job 12:12, old age, Psalm 62:1, Psalm 71:18, Rabbi Ben Ezra, Robert Browning, Whispers on the Journey | 6 Comments

… exchanging a life…

Posted on April 2, 2021 by oct17

“No, no, not that one. Give me another…” Imagine our surprise yesterday morning when we opened a package sent from sweet friends in Vienna, Austria. In fact, our friend was on the phone in Vienna as Tom carefully cut the … Continue reading →

Posted in early morning thoughts | Tagged Barabbas, DC Comics, Give me Jesus, Good Friday, John 18:40, Watchmen #1 | 2 Comments

blooming… in the litter…

Posted on March 22, 2021 by oct17

I was mad… I had been picking up trash… litter… is the nice word for the debris scattered alongside the road near our home in the country. The first day I gathered three large garbage bags in about two hours. … Continue reading →

Posted in early morning thoughts | Tagged compassion, Ephesians 4:32, Is Seattle Dying?, Komo News Documentary, litter, Luke 7: 13, Matthew 23:37, Matthew 8:3, trash | 4 Comments

… puzzled…

Posted on March 1, 2021 by oct17

… puzzled… “This piece is not here. I know it’s missing. I have tried every piece of the same color.” Tom and I were convinced several times of this truth as we worked a puzzle last week. We began a … Continue reading →

Posted in early morning thoughts | Tagged Adullam cave, cave, Hallstatt Austria, John 14:6, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 142:3, Puzzle, Ray Noah | 4 Comments

… reflecting…

Posted on December 30, 2020 by oct17

This past Saturday morning I was wishing for the second day of Christmas. That’s what the day after Christmas is called in Austria, and it is a calendar holiday. There are several stories of its beginning in Europe, but it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in early morning thoughts | Tagged Boxing Day, Emmanuel, Luke 2:11-12, Matthew 2:10-11, Philippians 4:8, reflection, Whispers on the Journey | 2 Comments

…hope… in a changing world…

Posted on December 15, 2020 by oct17

I remember the snowy night Tom and I bought our first nativity. Woolworth’s was our favorite shopping place as newlyweds, a very popular five and dime store in America until 1997. I had worked the candy and jewelry counter before … Continue reading →

Posted in early morning thoughts | Tagged Christmas, hope, Italy nativity set, Luke 2:10-11, memories, Nativity, Psalm 13:5, Romans 15:13, Woolworths | 9 Comments

… rambling… in thanks…

Posted on November 17, 2020 by oct17

One must always ramble in this area of being grateful… all day, every day. I speak of the meaning of rambling as in … at length and unplanned. On my morning walk yesterday I began singing as I passed our … Continue reading →

Posted in early morning thoughts | Tagged 4, Bread for the Journey, gratefulness, Henri Nouwen, Philippians 1:3, Psalm 119:28, Psalm 119:32, Psalm 71:8, Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, Whispers on the Journey | 3 Comments

… walking wisely…

Posted on October 30, 2020 by oct17

I gasped at the size of this spider. Then I remembered the pest control guys told me two weeks ago this kind is my friend. “You want this one in your garage… even in your house. They eat the brown … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged 45 goals of Communism to overtake America, algorithms, How to Think for yourself when Algorithms control what you read, Little Book of Prayers, Marc Zao-Sanders, Matthew 10:16, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Thomas a'Kempis | 4 Comments

… scrabbling…

Posted on August 28, 2020 by oct17

I’ve learned a new word… I didn’t even know there was a meaning for this word, except for the game of SCRABBLE. It’s like panning for gold, but more desperate… a frantic grasp for something more. “Each of us … Continue reading →

Posted in early morning thoughts | Tagged Ephesians 2:10, Invictus, Psalm 62:1, Scrabble, Whispers on the Journey, William Ernest Henley | 5 Comments