Julie Saffrin

Review of My Scripture Journal: Gratitude by Heather Bixler

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  For my summer devotional read, I am using My Scripture Journal: Gratitude by Heather Bixler and enjoying it. On July 17, 2012 this book is available on Amazon for free. Click here to download it instantly! My Scripture Journal: Gratitude’s format is so simple that it might cause one to consider it trite or maybe even not worth the time. But if you are looking for a short guide that allows you to explore Scripture, one that does not spoon-feed you answers, then this book/journal is for you. Benefits of this guide: First, the format is easy to do. Bixler…

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Bloomington Sun Current editor, Mike Hanks, gives a BlessBack

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For years I worked at writing BlessBack: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life, hoping people who read it would be moved to write BlessBacks of their own. But never did I think I’d read about a newspaper editor doing so. But that is what happened this week. Mike Hanks, the editor of the Bloomington Sun-Current, interviewed me in early June 2012 to do a story on BlessBack and highlight the Bloomington stories within it. One of those whom he attempted to contact was Harry Driste, a custodian during my elementary years at River Ridge. But Harry, who was still an…

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BlessBack story in Bloomington Sun Current

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Today was a surreal day. I went to Harry Driste’s funeral in Paynesville, Minn. at Paynesville Lutheran Church. I went to honor and pay my respects to Harry, 101, a favorite janitor from my elementary years at River Ridge elementary in Bloomington who later became connected to our family. Just before the funeral service began, I met many wonderful people who loved Harry, including his wife, Viola. They married when Harry was 85. “Harry asked the Lord to give us five good years. He gave us 16.” His previous first wife to whom he was married for 56 years, Mabel, preceded him in death, as…

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Harry Driste, a hero to Bloomington River Ridge Elementary kids

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Black and white picture: Harry Driste receiving a plaque and being presented with a tree planted in his honor at his retirement as janitor at River Ridge Elementary School in Bloomington, Minnesota. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.  — Woodrow Wilson Every once in a while someone comes along and changes your life. Harry Driste was one of those people. Harry passed away on June 3, 2012 at the age of 101 1/2. Until two days before his death, Harry was alert, making jokes and reaching into his storehouse of…

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BlessBack, A Dream of Mine

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February 2012 Blog BlessBack, This Dream Made Real “ … there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.” — Friedrich Neitzsche, Beyond Good and Evil February, 2012 I am sitting here, like I do most daylight hours, trying to create a worthwhile combination of words — words that will evoke meaning and emotion. Words that will make someone’s life different, if only for one hour. Seems like I have sat here for years, typing in the same direction, trying to make…

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Perham’s “The Gathering Grounds Coffee Shoppe” where Gouda and BlessBack come together

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Sometimes you happen upon a place with just the right ambiance to change your mood to a happier one. That happens every time in Perham, Minn., when I walked into the Gathering Grounds Coffee Shoppe. The shop is so much more than a place that serves coffee. It has cold and grilled sandwiches, wraps, weight-watcher friendly meals, a children’s menu and amazing desserts. A month ago, I ordered takeout from them and when I arrived at my destination was surprised my meal not only had a loaded and great-tasting sandwich but also fresh fruit and a wedge of Gouda. Yes,…

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Sparkplug

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“There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.”    — Celia Thaxter,   Notes from a traveler afar Recently a recruiter gave a friend of mine a battery of tests to assess, using just one word, both the essence of her personality and her career. The recruiter defined her as “sparkplug.” The recruiter could not have assessed her better. My self-starter is great at contract work and helping companies find out what they are good at. She ignites passion in people and “sparks” them to start – and complete -their projects. She’s made a lot of companies a lot of money. As…

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BlessBack Dinner, part 2: Hosting a gratitude meal

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Gratitude can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. ― Melody Beattie           BlessBack Dinner, part 2: Hosting a Gratitude Meal On April 10, I shared ideas for you to thank your life influencers by taking them out to dinner. For this post, let’s talk about ways to host a BlessBack dinner in your home. Hosting a BlessBack dinner might sound fun and it is. I know some of you will want to unleash your creativity as you plan. For those of you on Pinterest, I have created…

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BlessBack Dinner, part 1

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So, you’d like to host a BlessBack Dinner. While some of you have shared your BlessBack stories with me, others have expressed an interest in wanting to thank your life influencers over a meal. This is a wonderful idea and your life influencer will be forever grateful. Here are three possible options for you to consider: 1. Take your honoree out to a restaurant for dinner. 2. Invite your honoree to your home for dinner. 3. Find two or three of your friends and plan a BlessBack meal with each of you inviting your BlessBack honorees to the meal. For…

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