The forests and fields in northern Michigan demonstrate the abundant creativity in nature, designed by God. There are trees—pine and deciduous—ferns, wildflowers and berries. My sister and I spent a week in the Upper Peninsula. We hiked. We picked apples and berries. Thimbleberries are abundant in the Keweenaw (the peak of the Upper Peninsula that… Continue reading Berry Picking in Northern Michigan
Category: Michigan
Family Time in Michigan
Almost every year, beginning in my childhood, I have spent time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan—usually in summer or fall. It is a beautiful place! I have memories of fishing with my Dad and my brother. The fish were cleaned and served for dinner or sometimes breakfast. Over the years we have picked strawberries,… Continue reading Family Time in Michigan
Seeking and Finding
When we pause to notice creation all around, us we become aware of provisions that demonstrate God’s love. Along the coast of Lake Superior, a bluebell flower emerges among the rocks. Along a path a trillium with petals sways in the breeze. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, the… Continue reading Seeking and Finding
Morning Brings Hope
As a nurse I have worked through the night and welcomed the morning. Before my marriage I worked in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Michigan (Holden Unit). I worked the night shift, 7 pm to 7 am. Around 5am we took turns walking along a corridor with windows overlooking the sunrise… Continue reading Morning Brings Hope
A Meal to Spark Memories
My mother’s birthday was last month. We celebrated her 98 years. She is cared for in a nursing home in Michigan. She has significant memory loss and is wheelchair bound. She recognizes family as familiar people and is happy to see us. Sometimes she reverts to the language of her childhood, Finnish. I can only… Continue reading A Meal to Spark Memories
My Experience with Self Publishing
Fifteen years ago I began writing a novel with the intention to honor the immigrant women that came to Upper Michigan during the copper mining boom. My grandmother was one of those women. As I wrote I was also comparing childbirth experiences in the early 1900s with modern birth experiences. In 2009 I signed a… Continue reading My Experience with Self Publishing
My Finnish Grandmother Was a Copper Country Woman
At the beginning of the twentieth century my grandmother immigrated to a mining town in Upper Michigan, from Finland. She married a copper miner in the Copper Country. Long after my grandmother passed away I learned about the miner’s strike and a disaster that killed 73 people, most of them children, most of them Finnish.… Continue reading My Finnish Grandmother Was a Copper Country Woman
Celebration with Finnish Prune Tarts
There are special holiday treats in the Finnish tradition. One of them is the prune tart or joulutorttu (Christmas tart). My mother and my aunt made these at Christmas time. My Aunt Syl made them for my wedding reception. During the last summer vacation with my Dad (he was 89 years old) we enjoyed family… Continue reading Celebration with Finnish Prune Tarts
Colorful Foliage and Flowers in Northern Michigan
A week ago my husband and I were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We had six days mostly off the grid, reading and doing small projects. The day that we arrived it was raining. It rained a couple more days. One night we had thunder, lightening and a heavy down pour. The benefit was… Continue reading Colorful Foliage and Flowers in Northern Michigan
Beauty and Wonder: Places in the Heart
Every Friday I join the challenge to write for five minutes on a prompt given by Kate Motaung. Visit this inspiring community by clicking here. Today’s prompt is: BEAUTY Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures… Continue reading Beauty and Wonder: Places in the Heart