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Cousin Connection

Posted by eph21920 on June 1, 2026 in Connected, Faith, Family, Grateful, Life

When my dad was 18 years old, he entered a beautiful silhouette black and white photo of his sister into a photo competition. It won an “Honorable Mention”. The framed  photo along with the ribbon has been traveling with our family ever since. It was also displayed at different photo competitions and exhibits as shown by the stickers on the back of the frame. It is truly a work of art and I wanted to get it to my aunt’s family. One of my cousins stayed in touch with my parents and I was able to connect with him. Today I made it to his house and delivered the photo along with a beautiful cross stitch that my aunt had created for my parents. We had not seen one another for 55-60 years when we were children. We had much to learn from one another and yet, the afternoon visit was very natural. He was so happy with the pictures as he doesn’t have much from his mother. It turns out that his family is very faithful, including 3 of his 5 daughters who are all married and have children of their own. He played a recording of the 3 of them singing a hymn in harmony. It was heavenly. One of the girls is also an artist. Before I left, they gave me a prayer card that she had created including a hand drawn picture of St. Carlo Acutis, and a prayer that she wrote. The prayer card was touched to one of his relics. I felt very honored to receive such a gift. My cousin commented on what a blessing it was for us to connect. I agreed.

I Found God today connecting with a long lost cousin.

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Saying Goodbye

Posted by eph21920 on May 31, 2026 in Family, Life, Love, Peace, Relationship

I went to Mass this morning in the town where my family moved. It was a cute little modern church that is bilingual. I went to the English Mass. Afterwards, there were tables full of packaged baked goods and everyone was taking one, so, I took a box of donuts. After checking out of my VRBO, I made one last stop at my son’s house. The kids were happy to see the donuts. I told them they need to go to church now to get more. When I hugged my son goodbye, the tears started coming. I tried not to cry too much as I went around and hugged everyone, even my grandson’s room mate who is officially a part of the family. I told them to take care of each other and we exchanged “Love you!” as I headed out the door. Then I started my drive, trying not to think too much about how far away they will be now. On my drive, I stopped at a church in my book, “Monuments, Marvels, and Miracles; A Travelers Guide to Catholic America”. According to the story, in the mid 1800’s, a gentleman had an apparition of Our Lady who pointed to the area and said it would be a happy and prosperous city. The gentleman took her word for it, platted the land, and named it after her. The church was closed but the pastor was next door outside the rectory tending his garden. He let me in to look around. Then I showed him where the church was highlighted in my book. He never heard of it, but thought it was “pretty cool”. Then he gave me a travelers blessing before I left. No matter how I’m feeling, being in a church and having these encounters reminds me that God is always with me.

I Found God today in sadness followed by peace.

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Family Meal

Posted by eph21920 on May 30, 2026 in Family, Food, Grateful, Happiness, Laughter, Relationship

Today my son had his moving POD delivered. He, his sons, and a friend got it all unpacked. I decided that it would be most helpful to provide food. I rented a cute little VRBO house for a couple of days, knowing the chaos and stress of moving. I found my way to the grocery store and bought food to be used immediately. I made breakfast burritos and delivered them to my son’s house for lunch. After helping them unpack a bit, I went back to the house and cooked some more. I made shepherds pie for dinner and made myself chicken and veggies that will last for a couple of days. I felt very productive and my son and family really appreciated the food. They got the dining room table all set up, so everyone sat down together for dinner. I was glad I was able to provide them some good food and have everyone around the table sharing stories and laughing, especially since I won’t be experiencing this with them again for quite some time.

I Found God today having a family meal.

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Arrived Safely

Posted by eph21920 on May 29, 2026 in Begin, Family, Generosity, Grateful, Opportunity, Relationship, Travel

My son’s family made the decision to move further South. My son got a job there, they got a house to rent, and they packed up most of their things. I offered to help drive and bring children. They also have 3 dogs. The plan was to pack the rest of their belongings in the small trailer on Tuesday and head out bright and early. Unfortunately, they had more things than room in the trailer, truck, and my car. With help from their neighbor, my son, and my sister, we were able to get everything taken care of. So grateful for people who come to help when things look desperate. We finally left and got a very late start. I drove into the night Tuesday, all day Wednesday, and all day Thursday. I had the 2 kids. My son and his wife had their 3 dogs in my son’s truck. The first night, we all stayed in a hotel in 2 rooms. It was an exhausting adventure. Then, my son drove straight through, stopping for some sleep in rest stops along the way. The kids and I stayed another night in a hotel and would otherwise stop to eat, go to the bathroom, and get gas. My grandson easily slid back into the co-pilot mode and was always super helpful. My granddaughter loves Kpop, so we listened to that for quite some time. When a song came on that she knew well, I would turn it up so she could sing along, which I really enjoyed hearing. I have to say, the upbeat rhythm really helped keep me awake. We finally arrived at the cute little VRBO I reserved late last night. After some good sleep, I took the kids over to their new house today. It was exciting for everyone. We unpacked some things and they all got their beds set up. Later, their older son and his roommate came over. He has been living there since October. They were all so happy to be all together. The stress of moving across the country was real. The joy of being all together and safe made that stress disappear. I prayed many times during the trip and was so happy when my granddaughter replied with a rousing “Amen!” There is nothing like being together for 3 days and nights to really grow a relationship. Today I am so grateful for safe travels and my son’s family’s new opportunity.

I Found God today in safe travels and family ties.

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The Serenity Prayer

Posted by eph21920 on May 25, 2026 in Eternity, Faith, Happiness, Life, Prayer, Struggles, Trust

Recently, a friend’s mother passed away and I have been praying with her prayer card. It has the serenity prayer on it. Many people know the first part by memory:

“God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.”

I am finding the rest of the prayer particularly meaningful as well:

“Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next.”

This life is wonderful, but it is also difficult. The prayer reminds me that there is more that God has promised to those who follow Him. I pray that I will do my best to follow Him each day and trust that I – and my prayers – are in His hand.

I Found God today in the Serenity Prayer.

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Excited and Sad

Posted by eph21920 on May 24, 2026 in Family, Life, Opportunity, Travel

My older son drove one of the family cars across the country to their new house that they will be moving in to. He will be flying back here tomorrow and we’ll all leave on Tuesday. His wife doesn’t drive his truck, so today I took her and the 2 kids to my other son’s house for his annual Memorial Day BBQ. I have visited with his group of friends many times and enjoy learning about the new experiences happening in their lives. It was difficult for my daughter in law to say goodbye to everyone and she wasn’t expecting the tears to come. The excitement of looking forward to their move mixed with the sadness of leaving people here was a little overwhelming. But she was alright after a little while. I thought about how my granddaughter went through the same thing just a couple of days ago. I think it was good for her to see her mom be sad and happy at the same time too. Hopefully she will realize those emotions are normal and it’s ok to feel and show them. I feel the same way, but I will have another week with them before I will be crying too. I am happy for them to be excited for this new opportunity, but I will miss having them so close. My parents were blessed that they came and I am so grateful.

I Found God today in the blessing of my family.

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I Made It

Posted by eph21920 on May 23, 2026 in Faith, Hope, Music, Struggles, Trust

Listening to music today, I heard the song, “I Made It” by CAIN. Here are some of the lyrics:

‘Been a long year
Cried some hard tears
On some dark nights;
Tried to pray through
Nothing seemed to
Make the wrongs right;
Oh, I can’t believe the pain I’ve seen
But looking back
Through every step
You never left
And I’m so thankful that;
I’m coming out the other side stronger
One foot in front of the other
Hands still raising
Heart still praising
I made it
I made it”

Every time I hear this song, I add my own time reference to the end such as – I made it to this morning, or I made it out of the grocery store. I guess I’ll never feel like I have completely “made it” until I make it to Heaven. I learned that when the group wrote the song, they were going through very difficult personal struggles. They had not actually made it through the situation. But they had faith that they would and that is what prompted the song. They were determined to praise God even in the hard times, knowing that God was with them then and would help them make it through. I was in awe of their faith.

I Found God today in hope filled faith.

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Best Friends

Posted by eph21920 on May 21, 2026 in Children, Connected, Family, Friends, Grateful, Relationship

Today was my granddaughter’s 5th grade graduation celebration. I was very happy that I was able to attend. When the family moved here, she was just starting 1st grade. One of my neighbor’s granddaughters was also starting 1st grade and they happened to be in the same class. We got the girls together to meet before school started and they hit it off. They have been best friends ever since. It has been such a blessing for them. Today after the celebration at the school, all the kids were finding their families in the gym. We wondered where my granddaughter was, then my daughter in law spotted her. She and her best friend had barely left their seats and were hugging and sobbing. We went over to them and tried to console them, as did the other family. My son and his wife assured them that they would be able to stay in touch and video chat. They both have such beautiful hearts and eventually started to calm down. Of course, all of us were crying by that time. We made it outside and the girls ate their celebratory cupcake as they said goodbye to other friends. A large group of the girls were going to a local fast-food place for lunch, so we went as well. Then they hung out at the mall, which I left to the girls and their mom’s. Instead, I went over to my son’s house to help get some more cleaning and such done. When they arrived home, I asked my granddaughter about the mall. She and her best friend bought a friendship necklace, where they each got half a charm of a planet. Seemed fitting as their school mascot was an astronaut. When I saw photos of them at the mall, they continually had their arms around each other. They certainly have a deep friendship. During the graduation ceremony, my granddaughter’s teacher wisely quoted Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Such great advice that I am going to try to remember myself.

I Found God today in the deep friendship between my granddaughter and her best friend.

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Safe Photos

Posted by eph21920 on May 20, 2026 in Family, Happiness, Past

I was at my son’s house today as they continue to pack and get ready to move. My grandson came from his room with a stack of pictures that he was looking for a safe place to pack them. A couple of them were photos that my dad took. I didn’t even remember that he had them. It made me happy that he had picked them out of the hundreds that we have and that they meant enough to him to make sure they were kept safe in the move.

I Found God today in my grandson’s consideration.

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Daughters

Posted by eph21920 on May 19, 2026 in Family, Grateful, Life, Prayer, Relationship

As the time for my son and his family’s move gets closer, we are spending good time together. This morning both of my daughters in law came over to my house. I have taken to just call them my daughters. We blessed ourselves with Lourdes holy water and prayed for safe travels, a good move, and growth and health for the baby in the womb. Then I asked for their help. I have been wearing my mom’s diamond earrings for over 2 years now. It has been on my mind that I should take them out and have them cleaned and inspected. And I was having worries about the diamonds coming loose and losing them on my trip. I have tried to get them out on my own with no luck. I asked the ladies if they would be able to help. They went right at it, each taking an ear. It was difficult for them too, but they were able to get them out. I was so relieved, as I know if I have something so strongly on my heart, that I should do it. Then we went to breakfast. We talked all about new adventures and old ones, and about children and family life. Our age differences are kind of funny, as I am a generation older than my one daughter in law who is almost a generation older than the other. But there was still plenty of common ground. I feel truly blessed to have these 2 ladies in my life, and even more so that they are in the lives of my sons.

I Found God today in the blessing of my daughters in law.

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