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Retreat Day

Posted by eph21920 on September 12, 2026 in Connected, Faith, Generosity, Grateful, Joy, Life, Love

My sister and I spent today on a woman’s retreat at a local hotel. The theme for the day was “Beloved” – a reminder that we are God’s beloved daughters and that He is always with us and for us. There were 2 speakers, Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and vendors. I saw many of the younger and older women I had met at the Newman Center. There were many quotes and thoughts that touched my heart, so I wrote them down. Here are a few of them:

Talking about the importance of paying attention to the blessings God gives your every day, every moment. “When my life is over, I want to say I was a bride to amazement”.

“What comes to our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about ourselves.”

Jesus was at His best on the cross. His incredible suffering brought redemption. We will suffer too, but God can make beauty from it.

Everyone wants our attention right now – family, friends, social media, etc. It is so valuable. Some of our attention needs to be on God.

I had such a great day with my sister, listening to so much encouragement.

I Found God today spending it with Him.

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Baby Shopping

Posted by eph21920 on September 11, 2026 in Baby, Family, Grateful, Shopping

Every year, a certain organization holds a gigantic used children’s sale  at a local event center. This year, my daughter in law and I decided to go. When I arrived at my son’s house, my daughter in law was feeding the baby. My son said that his new daughter gets very unhappy if she’s not attached to her mother. I remembered going through that phase and encouraged him to be as patient as possible and keep in mind that this is just a period of time that will pass. Once the baby was finished eating, my daughter in law loaded her into the car seat and into her car and off we went. While she initially didn’t like being put in the car seat, the baby settled down and fell asleep. She stayed sleeping while the car seat was moved onto the stroller and for most of the time shopping. My daughter in law’s family has been gifting them with quite a bit of baby gear, but she did find a couple things she needed. I kept picking up cute things, asking if my daughter in law if she wanted them. She was pretty good at saying no because they have so much. But, we did get some super cute holiday jammies for Halloween and Christmas. Her brother had already given them an outfit for Thanksgiving. I could tell that my granddaughter has been growing, but seeing so many other babies there, she looked so tiny and they looked like giants. It was pretty funny. When we were just about finished, the baby woke up and cried right away. My daughter in law took her to the car to start nursing while I purchased our treasures. On the way home, the baby got angry again as she didn’t quite get her fill. That little newborn cry is so heart wrenching. My daughter in law remained calm as she drove home. Once there, they were back together again. My son was attentive, bringing his wife her lunch and helping her to get situated. I was grateful to spend the time with family and see how they are doing with their new little one.

I Found God today spending time with the new parents and baby.

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Being Patient

Posted by eph21920 on September 10, 2026 in Family, Grateful, Patience

After my brothers and I have been working through all my dad’s old camera equipment, there is still a lot left. I brought much of it into the used camera store today. The old gentleman who owns the store came out in his walker to look at the treasures. I did my best to help extend the legs on the tripods and got a lesson from him on the proper way to use the levers and knobs. He was very slow, meticulous, patient, and kind. I talked about my dad’s photography while he investigated all the pieces. Unfortunately, most if it was too old for him to sell – too old to be of use to anyone according to him. He did offer some cash for a couple of things, which I was grateful for. He got out his paper form and wrote down my information. At one point he made an error and had to go get his correction tape. Then he went out of sight and said he would be right back. I browsed through everything in the store before he returned with a handwritten check. I was glad that I went when I had a free afternoon, as the whole process took quite some time and definitely tested my patience. In the end, I was happy to share my dad’s talents and equipment with other people, and glad that I was able to be patient without feeling like I had to be rushed.

I Found God today able to be patient.

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Masculinity

Posted by eph21920 on September 9, 2026 in Humility, Love, Prayer, Relationship

Tonight I turned on the first football game of the season. Before the game started, they showed some of the players getting ready. One of the men was with his wife and infant son. He held his baby in his large hands as he talked to him. Then he gave him back to his mom, dropped to a knee and bowed his head. His wife, holding their son, leaned over close, closed her eyes, and spoke into his ear. It appeared to me that she was praying over him. This tall, muscular man showed incredible humility. At the same time he was an example that true masculinity and strength isn’t always about being aggressive. It is also about treating others – especially women and children – with tenderness and gentleness.

I Found God today in a humble man.

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Energetic Dog

Posted by eph21920 on September 8, 2026 in Dog, Family

Today I went over to my son’s house to watch their dog while they took the baby to her doctor’s appointment. The husky was crazy as soon as I got there. She was jumping all around and vocalizing. She knows when I come that we are going out on an adventure, or taking a walk. She could hardly wait. I got my things ready and let her out the back door. From there, she goes to the back gate and waits to get her leash on. She only went a few steps before she turned around and basically told me to hurry up. Once down the stairs of the deck, she did the same thing. It took all the self control she had to sit long enough to get her leash on. Once out the back gate, she was on her way. She has been trained to walk right beside you, but too many different people have been walking her and her training seems to have fallen by the wayside as she was far ahead of me. I had to stop many times so she would realize that she needed to pay more attention to me. And I made her stop at all crosswalks as she was trained to do. It started out as quite a battle. We went for over 2 miles so she could release some of her crazy energy. A little over half way, she finally had reeled herself in and was walking with me. When we got back to the house, she was pretty hot and tired. I gave her a few ice cubes, which she thought were the best thing ever. When my daughter in law got home with the baby, the dog got all excited again. She licked the baby like she was cleaning her puppy until my daughter in law made her stop. She is such a sweet, loving, funny dog, and I really enjoy being with her. She keeps me on my toes, but she really gave me a workout today with her level of energy. Luckily, she walks on the left side. I would not have been able to do it with my withered right hand – which is actually getting much better.

I Found God today working out with an energetic dog.

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Withered Hand

Posted by eph21920 on September 7, 2026 in Connected, Healing

The other morning I woke up to a very painful right hand. The joint at the base of my thumb was very swollen and I could barely move it. When I did, it was extremely painful. I took some Tylenol during the day, but it didn’t seem to help. That night I didn’t sleep because it hurt so bad. Yesterday morning I went to church while the pain in my hand just increased. I decided I needed a stronger medication, so I stopped on the way home and got some Aleve, which my doctors have recommended in the past. I don’t like to take it as it upsets my stomach. But desperate times… When I got home, I started taking the Aleve, started icing the swollen part, and hunkered down in the recliner. I was glad I was able to sleep better last night. I woke up to a less swollen hand that didn’t hurt as much. I listened to today’s Gospel reading, which was about the man with the withered right hand. When it came to the part where Jesus tells the man to stretch out his hand, I did, and I prayed. There was no immediate miraculous healing. But, since it is feeling a little better today, I do feel confident that it will heal in a short time now. I thought it was a very funny “coincidence” that the reading and the reflection were so personal for such a random thing.

I Found God today in a specific, personal scripture.

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Getting Out

Posted by eph21920 on September 5, 2026 in Connected, Friends, Fun, Grateful, Grief, Healing, Life, Struggles

I met a certain friend several years ago at a grief support group and we discovered that we had much in common. She had been caring for both her parents and both of our fathers had recently passed away. Soon after we met, her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. We made it to a couple of Parkinson’s support groups together before my mom died. We have stayed in touch since then. Her mother recently passed away and she is now living in the big house by herself. Today I invited her to a social group that I have been going to. It was good to catch up with her, and she found she had things to talk about with several people. We planned on going for a hike with some of the group. When we were driving home, she said she almost cancelled as it would have been easier to stay home, but she fought the temptation. She was glad she came, and so was I.

I Found God today helping a friend get out.

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Successful Surgery

Posted by eph21920 on September 4, 2026 in Doctor, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Healing

I was at a friend’s house today and we wondered about another friend who had hip surgery earlier this week. Our prayer group was praying for her and my friend said that she and her husband were praying for her many times during the day. I texted her, hoping to get a response. She did answer quickly and said that the surgery went well and she was staying with her daughter who was being a very good nurse. She said she was already getting around better than she was before the surgery. We were glad to hear that she was doing so well.

I Found God today in a friend recovering from surgery.

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New Adventures

Posted by eph21920 on September 3, 2026 in Begin, Dog, Family, Friends, Grateful, New, Travel

After being together for a couple of months, my brother started off on his new adventure this morning. His dog was super excited to get on the road again. I had been worried about her as she is getting older and struggling to get around and had some stomach problems. When she has issues now, it takes her some time to recover. But today she looked like her younger self. She was full of energy and excited for my brother to put her in the truck and harness her in. It was strange saying goodbye to them this time, as I don’t know when the next time I will seem them will be. My brother has come back here every summer for years. When my parents were alive, he helped care for them. He had been staying at the cabin and helping to maintain it. Now that the cabin is sold, he is excited to explore other areas of the country. We were very busy while he was here and we got a lot accomplished. We both agreed that it will be nice to have the estate settled, so that when we do get together again, we can just enjoy.

I also had a new adventure today. An elderly friend of mine has been wanting to get her hair cut. I was glad that my hairdresser was able to get her in. I got my friend and her walker in the car and took her to the place. It all seemed very familiar. The hairdresser was very sweet to her and at the end of it all, she gave her the style that she wanted. My friend was elated. We made our way back to her house. Her husband opened the garage door and got the electronic lift ready for us. My friend was a little slower and tired from the outing. When we got settled back in the house, I congratulated us on safely and happily experiencing our big adventure.

I Found God today in new adventures.

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Clear and Confident

Posted by eph21920 on September 2, 2026 in Faith, Knowledge, Prayer, Youth

I spent some time at the Newman Center today and visited with people after Mass. While I was there a Campus Police officer came in and chatted with the facilities manager. As I was talking with one of the students, the officer came over to the information table next to us and was looking at the rosaries. The student went into his leadership role and told the officer that he could have anything on the table, it was all freebies. The officer said that he was interested in the rosaries and the student told him all about what a rosary is, and the prayers that go with it. He encouraged him to take one. I was so impressed with the student. Not only was he not intimidated by the police officer, he spoke very clearly and confidently about his faith. I was grateful to be there.

I Found God today in a faithful young man.

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