Janet's Blog

When I think of past Thanksgivings, I remember the Hotel Mary-Etta, where various permanent residents joined our family and extended family in our apartment living room, dressed in their best, sometimes straining to use appropriate table manners, always quiet and reserved at the thought of sharing a real Thanksgiving dinner with a real family.  I think of the wild turkey, and sometimes pheasant or duck, as well, that Dad had shot, and the stuffing Mom always made but never ate, the old-fashioned ham that Aunt Ellen always brought along, sweet potatoes with melted marshmallows on the top, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cranberry sauce, slid straight out of the can onto a plate for us to slice and enjoy.  We always finished the meal with homemade pumpkin pie and real whipped cream. Some years, we made the four hour trip to Bloomfield to share a Thanksgiving meal with Grandpa and Grandma Wegner.  The meal was virtually the same, except that Grandma usually made her cran...

It was a small worship team tonight, only five of us; one pianist, one on synth, a guitarist, me on bass, and a drummer.  Only two of us are singing this week, as we prepare to lead the congregation in Sunday morning worship.  Tonight, our ages ranged from early twenties to late seventies, a Bible college student and a youth pastor, a piano teacher, a preschool teacher, and a retired nurse. Our entire worship team probably consists of more than twenty talented musicians and technicians, including bus drivers and teachers, farmers and ranchers, students, construction workers, nurses, and self-proclaimed computer geeks. The faces may change a bit from one week to the next, but the focus remains the same.  Every time we come together, we implore God to help us focus on him, and to make us fade into the background on Sunday mornings, so the congregation can fix their eyes on Him, as well. I think I can safely say that we have become a family.  Not everyone was there ...

There are days when I just feel like packing up and moving to Finland.  No, I am not yearning for dark, frigid winters or midnight sun.  I am not anxious to move away from family and friends.  But, I am more than a little fed up with contemporary education in the United States. In a nutshell, I think our elementary school children are pushed too hard to learn too much too soon, with far too much testing and not nearly enough physical activity.  Too many schools "teach to the test."  Curriculum is boring.  Creativity is stifled.  Few allowances are made for differences in learning styles or innate abilities.  Children have little time to build relationships with their classmates and teachers.  Teacher burnout is high.  Student burnout is higher. In Finland, the national curriculum offers only broad guidelines, rather than stringent requirements for education.  All education is 100% state funded, yet Finland spends 30% les...