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Better Surgery

Posted by eph21920 on November 3, 2026 in Answer, Doctor, Friends, Grateful, Healing

My neighbor has had some medical issues and without getting into details – mostly because I won’t be able to explain it properly – she has been putting off surgery. Her doctor here explained that it would be major surgery in which they would hope for a good outcome. It didn’t sound promising to her. Not too long ago, her daughter who lives in another state was talking with a friend who had the same kind of surgery. However, she had it done in that state by a group who are experts in the field. It wasn’t as invasive and she had wonderful results. My friend got in touch with the doctors who met with her virtually and walked her through the whole process. She and her husband flew out last week. She had the half an hour surgery, had lunch, and went back to the hotel. They stayed and visited family there, then flew back home a couple of days later. The surgery was short, not as extensive, and was successful. I talked to the husband today and he was just elated. He was sure it was God taking care of things. I agreed.

I Found God today in a friend’s successful surgery.

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Apologies

Posted by eph21920 on November 2, 2026 in Answer, Forgiveness, Friends, Grace, Intimacy, Life, Love, Marriage

I was spending time with some friends today when suddenly the wife told her husband that she needed to apologize to him. I just grew silent and tried to fade into the background. She told him that she had said some things to the physical therapist who came over that may have made her husband uncomfortable and she was sorry if that happened. He said he forgave her. They told each other they loved one another and sealed it with a kiss. They have been married for over 60 years now. It was a beautiful thing to see how much they still truly loved each other and to see their consideration for one another. I felt again like I was witnessing an intimate part of someone’s life. While it was meaningful to them, it was very meaningful to me too.

I Found God today in an apology.

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Día de Muertos

Posted by eph21920 on November 1, 2026 in Connected, Death, Faith, Family, Grief, Peace, Prayer, Stranger

Today my sister and I went to a Día de Muertos celebration at the local Fine Arts Center. It was a free event with family activities, food, vendors, music, and a traditional Hispanic altar. The event was very well attended with lost of kids and families. You could make a sugar skull mask, tissue paper flowers, papel picado (banners), or get your face painted with typical Day of the Dead decoration. The vendors sold religious and Mexican items. My sister and I enjoyed meandering and looking at the different art in the museum as well. Then we came to the large community ofrenda. Everyone was invited to leave photos or items that were special to their loved ones on the huge decorated altar. My sister and I brought some prayer cards from my parents’ funerals and some origami roses made from pages of my mother’s music books. Even though the museum was packed, the atmosphere changed when we walked into the room with the large altar. It was more quiet, somber, peaceful. There were chairs set up on the sides for people to sit and reflect or pray. We found a nice little niche and placed the cards and roses. We took a few moments in silence, then sat down for a bit. I watched as people came in and found spaces for the trinkets they brought. Some people knelt down, embraced each other, and most were in tears. I somehow felt like I was invading a person’s intimate space. But everyone seemed to understand and feel the same things. It was a very moving experience and I was glad that my sister and I went to the event.

I Found God today in the Día de Muertos celebration.

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Run To Jesus

Posted by eph21920 on October 31, 2026 in Answer, Death, Faith, Jesus, Love

Last year I was visiting an elderly home bound woman and bringing her Holy Communion. I was happy that I got to know her family during that time as she lived in their home. Several months ago, it appeared that she was not going to be on this earth much longer. The family contacted me so I could spend some time with her. The next day they took her to the neighboring state where the rest of the family lived. They found a place where the woman would be well cared for. She lived longer than anyone anticipated. The other day the family contacted me to let me know she was in the process of dying. I started praying for her. I learned that she passed away yesterday. The family told me that her granddaughter was with her in her final minutes. Her breathing was labored. The granddaughter said to her, “Grandma, take two deep breaths and run into the arms of Jesus.” And she did. It was a beautiful testament of faith and love. I felt incredibly blessed that they shared these intimate moments with me.

I Found God today in the death of a faithful woman.

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Working With Baby

Posted by eph21920 on October 30, 2026 in Baby, Family, Job, Life, Love, Marriage

My son’s company was very generous with the paternity leave that he was able to use. He took several weeks off and went back to work a couple weeks ago, continuing to work from home. He sent me a picture today of him working at his desk with the baby strapped on. She was sleeping soundly as he worked, while his wife got out of the house and went to the gym. It was such a sweet photo and I was proud of him for being such a loving husband and daddy.

I Found God today in my loving son.

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In NASCAR

Posted by eph21920 on October 29, 2026 in Car, Connected, Family, Grateful, Job, Joy, Life, Opportunity

I was thrilled to get a phone call from my oldest grandson today. He has been working as a tire guy for a race team for the past year. They race late model stock cars. His dream has always been to work in NASCAR. He has met a lot of people during this past year. One person that he met recommended him to another race car team that will be racing this weekend and needed a substitute tire guy. It is for a NASCAR team. My grandson was available and everything worked out. He is super excited for this opportunity. Then, today he went to an auto show and saw his idol Kasey Kahne there. My grandson actually interviewed to be part of his race team back in January, but nothing came of it. He decided to go shake his hand and say hello, which he did. They talked about my grandson’s race team experience and my grandson told him that he applied to be a part of his team. He also told him that he would be working for the NASCAR crew this weekend. Kasey Kahne handed my grandson his phone so he could put his information in there. When my grandson told me about it, he was amazed and still couldn’t believe that happened. He realized how lucky he was to have even met his idol and have a conversation with him. Then to have shared his information with him and perhaps have a chance of being on his race team was just incredible. My grandson said he was shaking as he walked away. I was overjoyed with him and amazed as to how everything just lined up. I told him that God was being very good to him. I am grateful that he thought to call me and share his exciting news.

I Found God today in my grandson’s opportunities.

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Time With Sons

Posted by eph21920 on October 28, 2026 in Birthday, Family, Food, Fun, Grateful, Joy

My older son will be travelling back home tomorrow morning, so we got together for a family dinner tonight. We went to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. My sister, and my younger son and his wife came also with the baby. They have been getting very adventurous taking her out. They even went to a hockey game the other night and somehow got some tiny headphones on her. The picture was hysterical. Tonight she was asleep when they arrived, but she woke up after not too long. Her mom knew just what to do and had everything under control. For dessert, we ordered a chocolate piñata. The waitress brought it on a huge wooden board decorated with whipped cream and drizzled chocolate. Since we have been celebrating both my son’s birthdays, we asked for 2 of the wooden sticks. My sons were sitting across the table from one another, each armed with a small wooden bat to break the big chocolate ball that was hanging from a metal rod in the middle of the board. They coordinated their timing and both gave it a whack one way, then the other. The large chocolate ball broke open and fresh pineapple, strawberries, and mini churros came flying out. The board was covered with them along with the chocolate pieces from the broken ball. We all dug in and had our fill of sweets. I was glad we got a video of the moment. I am grateful  to have had so much fun getting together with my sons over the past couple of days.

I Found God today enjoying time with my family.

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Good and Faithful Servant

Posted by eph21920 on October 27, 2026 in Death, Faith, Generosity, Life, Sacrifice

Today I received a notice from the church’s prayer line to pray for a gentleman who passed away this weekend. I was surprised at the name. Several years ago, I volunteered with an organization called Fostering Hope. The group supported and helped young people transition from foster homes to living independently. That is where I met the gentleman. I was immediately struck as to how comfortable he was with the young adults. He was always uplifting and had a kind word to say. As I got to know him over the years, I realized just what a selfless, giving person he was. He continued with the Fostering Hope group even through COVID and beyond. He organized the donation of the parish Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets. He was an incredible woodworker and crafted the priest’s chairs in the sanctuary. I remembered that I actually own a cross that he made. He was part of the Knights of Columbus and served on the parish council. And I have probably only scratched the surface. I am sure this man touched thousands of lives. I thought it was sad that he had died, but as I really thought about it, he lived his life to give the fullest possible glory to God. And that is exactly what the Momento Mori reflections are all about. I think perhaps this man is celebrating in God’s Glory right now, hearing Him say, ” Well done, good and faithful servant.”

I Found God today recalling the life of a selfless man.

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Remember That You Will Die

Posted by eph21920 on October 26, 2026 in Angel, Answer, Connected, Creation, Death, Faith, Uncategorized

I have been a fan of Jonathan Roumie since the first time I saw him portray Jesus in “The Chosen”. When I saw him doing interviews and such, I noticed he wears skull rings. I wondered what that was all about. He explained it in one of the interviews. The skulls are to remind him that his time on earth is short and that he will die at some point. After I subscribed to the Hallow app, I was happy to see that he leads some of the prayers and meditations. A new series started today titled, Remember you will die”, or “Memento Mori”. I listened to the first session tonight. This series uses CS Lewis’s book, “The Great Divorce “. I have never read it and was excited to hear about it. Today’s story was about a gentleman ready to enter Heaven, except for 1 thing. He constantly carries a red lizard with him who somewhat controls him. The angel offered to kill the lizard for the man, but the man is so attached to it, he doesn’t want to let it go. Eventually the man allows the angel to do it’s work. Then, the lizard turns into a white stallion that carries him off into Heaven. This gave me pause to stop and consider what might be some of the things that I hold on to that are keeping me from being who God created me to be – what is keeping me from Him. It was a good reflection and I look forward to listening to it for the next few days.

I Found God today reminded that I will die some day.

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Fun to Live

Posted by eph21920 on October 25, 2026 in Answer, Creation, Dog, Friends, Fun, Joy, Life

I was talking with all my siblings this evening on our weekly Zoom meeting. I am so grateful that we have kept up with it for so long, starting in 2020 because of COVID. Today my brother was talking about how he’s worried about his old dog again as she has hurt her leg. He’s pretty sure she did it when she had an extra long “happy dance”. He feels like he needs to just keep her calm and indoors so she doesn’t keep hurting herself. My younger sister who used to rescue greyhounds chimed in. She and her husband struggled with the same feelings. They would take their dogs out to run because they loved it so much. They were as careful as possible, knowing that they could hurt themselves at any time. But, she said, they always believed in allowing an animal to be joyful even if they are having an off day or injured. She recognized that they live in the moment and that they need to be able to have fun in order to be happy. I thought about how true this is for people too. Last weekend, the elderly couple that I help went to their granddaughter’s track meet. Their son took them both on walkers with all the potential issues that they may have had to deal with. They all had a great time and told me all about how they went up and down hills and then out to lunch after the meet. They were exhausted afterwards, but in a good way. Their son was allowing them to get out of the house and feel the joy of an outing with family.

I Found God today in a reminder that animals and people need to have fun to enjoy life and be happy.

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