September 18, 2024 For several years my Monday routine has included writing my Tuesday post and often the one for Thursday as well, but this summer I discovered technical issues. You, as a subscriber or someone on my email lists, received my posts as usual, but the posts did not appear on the blog website ..read more

This is just a test ..read more

July 16, 2024 A couple readers have offered suggestions about how to solve the technical issue I currently have–new posts are not published on the website. So… this is a trial run to see if I have corrected the problem. My apologies to those who subscribe to the post and will receive this practice post. Bruce and I were recently on a two hour cruise on the Mississippi River with a group from our church. A perfectly delightful evening. Now I am going to hit “publish” and see what happens! Thanks for your patience ..read more

July 16, 2024 Some mornings need no preparation. I make the bed and brush my teeth and head into the snug for my morning meditation time. I read a devotion or two, write in my journal, and sit in the silence, praying with words or simply an open heart. Closing my eyes, I breathe in and out, gently, finding my own rhythm. Some days I sit there longer than others, but no matter the length of time, I feel more prepared for the day. More open to whatever is planned. And whatever is unplanned. I have learned over the years that if this morning time is absent from my day for more than two or three ..read more

July 11, 2024 Version 1.0.0 The 4th of July holiday week was quiet at our house, and you can guess what I did! I enjoyed the spaciousness of the days with a book on my lap. I moved from the snug to the patio to the comfortable chair with an ottoman in the entryway to the side garden we call “Paris,” and I read. My kind of holiday. Sandwich by Catherine Newman (2024, 226 pages) I LOVED this book, and so did Ann Patchett. I will read almost anything she recommends. Sandwich is joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry. Catherine Newman does a miraculous job ..read more

July 11, 2024 Version 1.0.0 The 4th of July holiday week was quiet at our house, and you can guess what I did! I enjoyed the spaciousness of the days with a book on my lap. I moved from the snug to the patio to the comfortable chair with an ottoman in the entryway to the side garden we call “Paris,” and I read. My kind of holiday. Sandwich by Catherine Newman (2024, 226 pages) I LOVED this book, and so did Ann Patchett. I will read almost anything she recommends. Sandwich is joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry. Catherine Newman does a miraculous job ..read more

July 11, 2024 Version 1.0.0 The 4th of July holiday week was quiet at our house, and you can guess what I did! I enjoyed the spaciousness of the days with a book on my lap. I moved from the snug to the patio to the comfortable chair with an ottoman in the entryway to the side garden we call “Paris,” and I read. My kind of holiday. Sandwich by Catherine Newman (2024, 226 pages) I LOVED this book, and so did Ann Patchett. I will read almost anything she recommends. Sandwich is joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry. Catherine Newman does a miraculous job ..read more

July 4, 2024 June was a month of mainly reading new novels. Long Island by Colm Toibin The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez Family Family by Laurie Frankl Lucky by Jane Smiley The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline WInspear Forgotten Sunday by Valerie Perrin I wrote about each of these books in my June posts. https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3698 https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3666 https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3634 Summer Reading Plan Check-in and ..read more

July 2, 2024 Come join me in “Paris.” On gorgeous summer days this is where you might find me–writing letters and emails, dipping into my basket of miscellaneous meditation books and saved articles, jotting notes to myself, adding to my To DO and TBR lists, and often taking a deep cleansing breath, as I open my journal for more reflection time. These are rich, but quiet days. Days I need right now. I am reading for the second time How To Walk into a Room, The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away by Emily P. Freeman. Freeman uses the metaphor of a “room,” to reflect on decision-ma ..read more

June 27, 2024 While my husband was manning his garage sale last weekend (A big success. Thanks for asking and for those of you who stopped by, thanks for shopping and for donating to Lutheran Social Service programs for youth experiencing homelessness.)–ok, back to books. While my husband was manning his garage sale, I was engrossed in two novels: The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear, the last in her 18 book Maisie Dobbs series and Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin, her first book, which has only recently been translated from French to English and published here in the US. The Com ..read more