Finding Zuzu’s Petals
Maybe the way in which we travel and the attitude we have while making our way through life is more important than reaching our destination. Or could it be that in God’s sight, the way is the destination?
Corrie ten Boom
When Creeks Sing
I made this observation to Axel today as we took our walk: When creeks sing, you know they’re going through something. For long stretches when we walk by the creek, it is silent. Seemingly still, even though there is an underlying current moving it along. But when obstacles block the customary flow — when the path narrows due to fallen tree limbs, or the water tumbles over piled-up stones or weaves through boulders — THEN the creek has a song. We all encounter obstacles. Some are of Everest proportions. My niece’s husband, Jon, was recently diagnosed with AML (Acute Myeloid…
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Axel’s Year-End Sermon
Be selective, and then be content with the stick you’ve chosen. I can only carry so much on my walk, so I tune out all the other sticks once I’ve picked one up. Check in with your master. Being off the leash means I can go where I want. I find it comforting after I’ve run ahead for awhile to double back to make sure she’s still there. Keeping her in sight tells me I’m going the right way. Plus, I think it makes her happy. She shows me her teeth. Stop & Listen. When we’re out on a walk,…
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What I’ve Realized over 12 Months of IF
I like chewing and swallowing. I always have, and I don’t see that changing. Making the transition from chewing and swallowing all day long to making that happen within a few-hours-window every day — otherwise known as time-restricted eating, or intermittent fasting — has been a positive experience for me in the following ways: I feel good — mentally, physically, and emotionally. I don’t feel quite as groggy as I used to when I wake up in the morning, and I don’t feel stiff and achy when I get out of bed. Not that I had much of a problem…
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Adjusting my Angle on Angels
It wasn’t even 10 AM and I’d already enjoyed a robust self-TED-talk. Axel and I were on our morning stroll, which today meant navigating a kind of strangulated figure eight and we were coming back along a path we had already walked. On our first pass by the little angel figure we have seen countless times before, Axel (who was off his leash at the time… let’s just keep that to ourselves) made a sudden pouncing dash towards it with a manly woof, examined it carefully, and deemed it unthreatening. I chuckled out loud; it was, literally, an angel that…
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She Set the Table: A Little Commotion about Mom
My mom was inclined to categorize things by how much commotion was generated: “A lot of”… or “such a”… or “so much.” Generally speaking, she was anti-commotion. So she may not be in favor of the following. But a lot of this was already shared at her memorial service on February 6th, 2023 (she passed away on December 14, 2022) and this is my blog, so… Part of the earliest soundtrack of my life is my mom calling “Come and eat!” (I believe I’ve pinpointed the pitch — while she wasn’t exactly singing, she seemed to hit the A above…
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When Axel Transfers Joy
“To get the full measure of joy, you must have someone to divide it with.” Mark Twain I read that recently and it resonated with me. I thought of it yesterday while Axel and I were out on a walk. If for no other reason, it’s good for me to have a dog because it makes me get off the couch. It was a glorious February afternoon with sunshine and snow drifts aplenty. I let him off his leash for stretches of the trail and his joy was unbridled as he circled around me and dashed ahead of me. It…
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Portrait of a Good Boy: Axel’s First Year
I got a puppy in November of 2021. While I’ve raised six other puppies over the past 30 years (including a basset hound, two golden retrievers, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and two Maltese/bichons), I hadn’t had a dog for nearly a decade. His name is Axel. Today is his birthday. Like everyone (except my mom), I had been thinking about getting a dog during the Pandemic, and due to my allergies thought it would be best if it didn’t shed. Having had both male and female dogs, I’ve found I prefer males. Having had both large and small dogs,…
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Road Trip Revelation
I just got back from a short road trip with my daughters, Anika and Kirsten. First we visited Haugen family members in Upper Michigan whom we haven’t seen since before the Pandemic, and then wound up in a tiny Airbnb above a natural food store in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. On our last morning in Door County I opted to find seating for us as they ordered our breakfast burritos at a favorite spot — Good Eggs, in Ephraim. Seating consists of chairs situated around sailboats propped up as tables. It’s a little awkward, but it works. As I selected ours,…
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What I Know at 60
I just turned 60. I know a few things. Jesus loves me — this I know, for the Bible tells me so. It was true then. It’s true now. Black is slimming, but it can only do so much. There’s not much better than having a good sister. Unless it’s having three. The sound of water lapping up on shore is the most peaceful sound on earth. Axel is one of the best choices I’ve made in a long time. Downton Abbey, the movie, is good, but not as good as Downton Abbey, the show. Becoming / being a mom…
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How Could One Man Be So Lucky?
Much of the following is what we asked our friend and former pastor, Roger Camerer, to read for us at our dad’s funeral service in November 2000. Co-authored with my sisters, it has stood up pretty well over time as the way I remember my dad. One afternoon while my mom and dad (Granny & Gramps) were staying with Jeff and Lisa, Granny presented Gramps with his dessert after lunch, and Gramps delighted his grandchildren with the exclamation “Two cookies! How could one man be so lucky?” This kind of joyful, unabashed exuberance characterized our Dad’s personality. As we’ve reflected…
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Karna Eastlund Haugen 