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Spa Platters

This past weekend I heard someone speak the mundane moments in life. In fact, Ben said that it is just possible that those mundane moments are holy moments. It was a thought that resinated with me. They were words that made the wells of my eyes fill… 

She stuck her head in the doorway and asked, “Almost finished? Want to check out the lake?” 

“Sure,” I said. 

Thirty minutes later 4 humans, 1 paddle board, and a newly acquired blow-up kayak were heading toward the lake. A clear 85 degree day accompanied by a warm breeze gave us a beautiful backdrop for paddling around.

“Let’s head over there,” I said pointing to what was either a small sand dune or the whitest stone-face ever. We paddled, talked, and laughed as we made our way to the shining white shoreline. Emery was the first out of the kayak and headed up the hill with Liam close behind.

“Is it sand?” I asked. 

“No, it’s sandstone. Let’s go exploring.” 

I watched as a mom and two kids begin their ascent into the unknown and the words, mundane moments are holy moments filled my head and the wells of my eyes filled again…

After returning from the lake adventure Emery asked for a spa appointment. “I think there’s room on the schedule for you,” I said, “but I’m hungry, how about if we have a spa platter today.”

A while back I was asked to help Emery with her shower. “Yep,” I said, “I believe there is room on the schedule for one spa appointment.”

Spa appointments happen regularly now. Complete with shampoo, conditioner, body wash and face scrub. Emery holds the shower head and I do the lathering. We giggle, laugh and comment on beauty supplies and how it’s amazing that the best spa in the world is in my bathroom!

We finished our spa treatment and climbed up on the stools that sit around the piano bar. Our spa patter was filled with cheese, crackers, blueberries, chocolates and nuts. Em and I ate, talked, and laughed. The words, mundane moments are holy moments filled my head and the wells of my eyes filled again….

There are so many voices shouting fear, anger, resentment, and paranoia. You don’t have to go far to find someone claiming “God’s anger!” Or “This is all made up.” Or “It’s my right!” We watch as  numbers keep climbing, counting lives that are no longer with us. Number that are expected to soar and our only defense is to stay at home. 

BUT home is where mundane happens the most. Home is where mundane resides. Mundane is where holy is found. It’s when we are most available. When we are listening in the quiet. It’s when ideas, inspiration, and peace are able to consume us.

This season of life that we find ourselves in has taught me to love mundane moments. My mundane radar is working overtime. I now run toward them instead of avoiding them. I know they are special and I want to flood my life with them. 

Whether it’s 2 months or 2 years away, life will return and we’ll be free to fill us our schedules, drive our cars, and get back to busy. I’m going to spend this time practicing the mundane. I never want to be so busy that I have to look for it. I intend fill my days with as many holy moments as I can possibly cram in. 

Check these out if you want to listen to some great messages on dealing with our New Normal and Mundane Moments.


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The Plan

The Plan was the first book I can truly say I felt inspired to write. It started with a simple thought, What if our world was created for a bigger purpose than anything I had ever been told? That thought turned into a driving force that put me in front of my computer until I had written 35 pages of a very rough story. That was almost 10 years ago.

Today, this is a story I still love. The characters have become more real to me than I ever thought possible. It’s also a story I love to share. Since we find ourselves with lots of time on our hands, I thought I’d break The Plan down into daily readings and share it with my friends.

So here it is. The Plan in chapter by chapter blog posts. I hope you enjoy it!

THE PLAN

A Story of Redemption

To the Fallen Souls who have not realized the need for forgiveness, May your journey lead you back to the King.

PROLOGUE

Chaos had overtaken the entire Kingdom. The sounds of people yelling and shouting blended together with the pleading and wailing of the loved ones they were leaving behind. It was so loud that Konnory couldn’t make out his own footsteps on the stone floor as he sprinted up the stairs and down the hall towards the Dining Room. The fear and confusion had given birth to a darkness that was quickly enveloping the Kingdom.

The King and Queen looked up as Konnory rushed through the door into the Dining Room. Without a word he walked over to the Queen, leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Mother,” he said softly. She did not reply other than simply nodding her head in acknowledgement. Konnory walked behind the King and took the empty chair that sat next to Him. “Magnor has reported,” Konnory said.

“He is still with the troops?” the King asked.

“Yes, he is. He has ordered that no one is to make any attempt to prevent anyone from leaving. A few have already challenged that command. Now, they stand together and watch as family and friends walk through the gates.” Konnory’s head dropped. 

“They must. It is agonizing. This will be the most difficult experience of their lives. But they must let them go. It is their choice. Holding anyone back will not be tolerated,” the King said as He reached out and took the Queen’s hand. 

With each moment the crowd heading towards the gates grew. The gate was opened and a flood of figures began pouring out into the darkness. Above the roar there were shouts of triumph and screams of anguish. 

The Dining Room door opened once again. Carasi stood holding a ledger. “Father, Magnor has reported that there are those within the ranks of the Captains that have left. It also seems that Waldemar has left.” The King closed His eyes and the Queen gripped His hand tighter. “Do you want to put an end to this?” Carasi asked.

“We must not,” the King replied. “They are each making the choice for themselves. We will honor their free will to do so.”

“But Father, we are losing so many!”  Carasi protested. “They don’t understand that once they are outside of those gates…”

“No,” interrupted the Queen. She spoke gently but with great authority. “We must honor their choice.”  Carasi bowed his head and took his leave. As he opened the door, a wave of shouts from outside flooded the room.

The castle itself had almost entirely emptied of people. Trays of food and bottles of wine had been left on shelves by attendants who had rushed outside to see what was happening. Servants had abandoned their brooms and mops as they sprinted home to check on loved ones. Scattered piles of papers and documents lay strewn across the Throne Room bearing witness to where the King’s advisors and scribes had been standing when the shouting began.

“He has done great damage,” the King said. His words brought a weight of certainty and heaviness into the room. “Konnory, go find your brothers, no one should be alone on this day.” 

Konnory hesitated, not wanting to leave them. Not wanting to leave the security that the Dining Room embodied. Eventually he found the strength to stand and walk out into the storm.

“He has done as he threatened,” said the Queen.

“Yes My dear. Patho has waged his war and taken his prisoners. When the last one has left and the gates close, that is when the real battle begins,” said the King.

“Are you sure it is a battle we want to fight?” the Queen asked ever so gently.

“This is not about what I want to do. But we must,” the King said as He raised the Queen’s hand to His lips and kissed it.  Another wave of shouting was heard just outside the window. The cries of mourning and screams of anguish continued well into the night.

Excerpt from The Plan, ©2011 Jeannie G Bruenning

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At home – working

Last week Jeff and I set up our home office. We’re still getting used to the fact that we work for the same company. Now we’re sitting next to each other at a white folding table which houses three monitors, and two computers. This luxurious office has a great view – from our bedroom window. It’s the only place that we can close the doors and take phone calls with little interruptions. 

A year ago Jeff and I gave up our small 2 bedroom condo with an ocean view for the big house on the hill. Being confined in our old house would have been a bit more peaceful but a lot more boring. We would have most likely set up our office in the dinning room, ate at the kitchen counter and endured hours of binge watching. 

But the big house on the hill is also home of our 2 adult children, their spouses, 4 grandkids, 3 dogs, 4 cats, 15 chickens and 2 rabbits. As of last week, it’s now the home office of 4 adults, home school for 3 kids and day care for 1 wild, crazy, loud, loving and wonderful toddler. Who’d have seen this coming.

But our first day working side by side went very well!

We completed tasks, made phone calls and took part in conference calls. There were a few times the internet slowed to a crawl, but then again, there’s a lot of people up here sucking it’s energy.

The day went so well that I thought we should take an on-line personality evaluation for married couples who want to start a business together. This wasn’t easy to find and took a bit of searching. (www.ireallydidntfindsucha site.owell) The results were conclusive that both Jeff and I excel at: Making sh*t look attractive! Go figure – we both scored off the charts! But then I started thinking…

Anyone who is in retail, or management, or marketing, or mostly any other position, simply strives to make someone else’s stuff appealing, purchasable, desirable, and essential. We all just make shit look attractive. 

So here it is, our new logo.. JB (squared).inc…we’re open for business, but we already have a waiting list…apparently there’s a lot of people who’ll pay to have someone make their sh*t look attractive. 

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Ethel Gregg (aka Egg)

Ethel Leonore Meyer was born on April 3, 1928 to Clarence and Gertrude Meyer in Chicago, Illinois.  Church was always a central part of her life and heart, beginning as a little girl riding the EL in Chicago with her sister Meryle and mom to attend Lakeview Church every Sunday.  Ethel began playing the piano at an early age and played regularly for Chicago City Wide Youth Events and the Gospel Tabernacle Church. 

Music played a huge part in Ethel’s life. In Chicago, as a young lady, she played piano and sang with a trio along with her sister Meryle and life-long friends, Joyce, Shirley and Pauline.  They recorded several of their songs with Ethel doing both vocals and accompaniment. The love for music has always been apart of Ethel’s life, a passion she passed on to her “kids”.  Thanks, mom and grandma for that gift.  

Ethel attended Bible School in Seattle, Washington, where she met Arthur Gregg. They were married in 1954. Art and Ethel have three daughters, Janet Lenz, Susan Gillespie, and Jeannie Bruenning.

Art and Ethel served together.  Ethel was always seated at the organ or piano providing the music.  They pastored in Chicago, Appleton, Lombard IL, Manitowoc, Oregon IL, and finally ending in Menasha, where they established Evangel Community Church, Evangel Bookstores (which became Family Christian Book Store) and WEMI Radio. Years later, they started Grace Gospel Church, WGNV in Milladore, and served at Celebration Church in Green Bay. 

Ethel is known as Grandma to, Ruth, Raun, Ben, Carolyn, Nathan, Austyn, Seth & Reagan. She is Auntie to Alfred, and known as Grandma Egg (or just Egg) to twenty great-grandchildren.

Ethel was also known as “Gran” to hundreds of preschoolers, parents and staff as she worked at Little Rock Preschool at Christ the Rock Church in Menasha. Her special love was the mentoring of many young women, being listener to anyone who needed to talk, and holding all their secrets in what she called “the vault”.

Ethel became a resident of Appleton Retirement Community a few years ago where she thrived, making new lifetime friends (whom she loved dearly), keeping a full schedule of activities and sharing her musical talents leading occasional hymn sings with her new friends. Thank you, Appleton Retirement “Family” for making Ethel’s last years so special.  

A memorial service will held on Saturday, February 1st at Outer Edge, 303 N Oneida Street, Appleton, WI 54911.

  • Visitation begins at 1:00 pm
  • Service begins at 2:00 pm
  • Continued visitation will continue after the service.

Cards can be sent to: Ethel Gregg, %Susan Gillespie, 5120 W. Anita Street, Apt 4, Appleton, WI 54913

She will be buried in Rest Haven Cemetery, Menasha.

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That’s Not Evil!

Today I was searching for information about the book Girl, Wash Your Face by a young woman named Rachel Hollis. This is a best-selling book which I’ve seen but know very little about. I found what I was looking for and read about this best-seller. In my search, I also found a blog that was warning against this book.

Now my curiosity was sparked, “What could possibly be wrong with a book that encourages women to stop believing the negative things they’ve been told about themselves and focus on the good?” As I read through the warnings of the evil dangers in positive thinking, accepting others who are different than you, and dreaming big, I thought, “Hmmm, according to this definition of evil – I’m really, really bad!?”

Earlier this week I had seen a facebook post about evil that also caught my attention. It pointed out the danger of accepting what was once evil, making laws in favor of it, and so on and on and on.

This made me wonder, Who’s deciding what is Evil? Is there an Evil Meter? Or questionnaire? Is there an Evil Council that listens to individual cases and passes judgement?

I’m a preachers kid with almost 60 years of watching the definition of Evil change. When my mom was young, cards, movie theaters, and bingo were Evil. When I was a kid, dances, rock music and drinking were Evil. Before the 90s, divorce was Evil. Recently a group who apparently sit on the Evil Council decided that the show Good Omens was Evil. That should have been my first clue of my Evil demise – I love Good Omens and watch it at least once a month. 

The definition of Evil has gone through a lot of revision…but has it really? Or have we lost what Evil really looks like. I believe the Holocaust was Evil. I think sending young men and women into crowded places with bombs strapped to their bodies is Evil. When a young person open fires on innocent peers, Evil is at work. I’ve watched drugs take over a person’s being and believed it to be Evil. 

It has never dawned on me that thinking good thoughts, desiring to live joyfully, accepting those who aren’t like me, offering love unconditionally, or finding one’s potential had Evil connections. I guess that is because – they don’t. 

However, diminishing the heaviness of what defines Evil to include differences of opinions or beliefs or life choices also diminishes the weight of the consequences of Evil – and that may just possible be Evil at its finest. 

Check out my latest release; Caffeinated! Stories from behind the counter of your local cafe.

Dear to my heart: please read: Raun’s story

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20/20 Vision

Choosing by author Jeannie Bruenning

Ahhh, it’s that time of year again. The time to look back over the last 12 months to figure out what went well, what changed, what blew-up, what blind sided me, and what I promised never, ever do again. 

2020 – who’d have thought. As a high-schooler, the year 2020 was so far in the future we could only speculate what it might look like. We believed we’d all have computers, but never dreamed they would be in the form of our telephones. We were sure that robots would take over most of our jobs. And we were certain that we would be navigating our way to work with jet packs on our backs.

“2020? Who’s going to live that long?”

Well, we have, and we are about to enter the 20’s. 

This is also the time of year I typically choose 3 words that will define the next 12 months. Three word that will keep me focused, on task, and headed in the right direction. 

But there is something different about 2020. It could be that I’ll be 59 in a few months, or that Jeff and I will be celebrating our 40th anniversary, or that we will have successfully completed our first year in our California Hacienda without killing anyone. 

But, every time I think about 2020, it shows up in my mind as 20/20. (I also hear Baba Wawa, instead of Barbara Walters, thanks to SNL.)

I asked Wikipedia what the news broadcast 20/20 title means, it said; “The program’s name derives from the “20/20” measurement of visual acuity.”

What does Visual Acuity mean? Visual Acuity; sharpness of vision, measured by the ability to discern letters or numbers at a given distance according to a fixed standard.

Ahhh, that’s what I want 2020 to be! I want to see the year through visual acuity. 

Through the eyes of 59 years’ worth of life experiences and wisdom, 40 years of becoming one with someone who is my total opposite but I’m still excited when I hear his car drive up the hill. Visual acuity when my adult children are frustrated with finances, or raising children, or relationships and just happen to live 100 feet away from me. 

I want to see with 20/20 vision in the small stuff too. Like when another irrigation pipe breaks and drains the well, or the septic tank needs cleaning, or the dogs eat the chickens. In 2020, I want 20/20 vision when life gets overly complicated, or sensitive, or ridicules, or heavy. 

As I think about living life with visual acuity, I immediately think, “that’s going to take some time!” 

Yep, lots of time!

Time to stop and ponder instead of reacting. Time to recall past lessons. Time to understand all that is involved in the decision.  Time to breath, think, contemplate, and understand. But most of all, time to quietly wait to hear the beautiful wise voice that speaks so gently the slightest ripple can cause us to miss it. 

2020 is my year of 20/20. 

The year of seeing life with a sharpness of vision and the ability to discern.

Check out my latest release; Caffeinated! Stories from behind the counter of your local cafe.

Dear to my heart: please read: Raun’s story