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Response to Fear

Posted by eph21920 on August 3, 2026 in Answer, Bible, Faith, Friends, Jesus, Life, Struggles, Trust

I met with my prayer group today and we discussed the scripture Matthew 14:22-33. The most discussed topic was fear. A couple of statements that people shared really stood out to me:

Fear weakens trust.

Fear leads to misinterpreting God’s plans.

I thought about these words a lot and how true they are. When I am afraid, it is mostly fear of the unknown result of a particular circumstance. Then I want to try to control the situation instead of trusting God. Also, when I allow fear to take over my mind, I can’t think clearly. It is easy for me to miss what God is doing in the moment and what He might have planned for the future. Of course, it would be nice to just stop being afraid and trust Jesus. In this scripture, Peter initially is ready to walk on the water towards Jesus, knowing and trusting that He will take care of things. However, as soon as Peter takes his eyes off Jesus, he starts flailing. When he calls back out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus is right there, extending His hand, pulling Peter up out of the depths. It is a great story and beautiful image. I pray that I can trust God more, instead of reacting to my own fears and doubts.

I Found God today in His response to fear.

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Living His Dream

Posted by eph21920 on August 2, 2026 in Answer, Car, Family, Grateful, Happiness, Life, Opportunity

My grandson texted me yesterday saying that I would never guess what he would be doing last night. I made a lot of random guesses that were pretty funny and saved the best for last. He moved almost a year ago to chase his dream of working with race cars. He got a job with a team and has been promoted and doing very well. My last guess was the correct one – driving a race car. A friend of his offered to let him rent his old crown vic stock car and drive it in a small race. Of course, my grandson was ecstatic. Some of the people he works with even pitched in to make it happen. He called on his way to the race track and told me that the owner of the car was hauling it out and would spot and coach him. I got a few videos and updates during the night. The last message was a photo of him outside the car announcing that he won 2nd place. I thought that was pretty amazing for his first time behind the wheel. I told him I was so grateful that he shared this event with me and how joyful it is for me to see him make his dreams a reality. He replied, “It’s super exciting living it and having it be a normal part of my life. Especially after wanting to do what I’m doing for so long before this. It’s a crazy cool feeling I wish everyone could experience.” I was again impressed at his heartfelt, thoughtful comments.

I Found God today seeing my grandson live his dream and appreciating it.

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Winning Gold

Posted by eph21920 on August 1, 2026 in Friends, Joy, Life, Relationship, Sports

I was talking with an elderly gentleman today in his 90’s. He has trouble with his eyes and they always look red and irritated. I always wonder how much it effects his vision. I was actually driving behind him for a little bit and he seemed to do just fine. He told me about a race that he ran in the state Senior Games. He won the gold for his level and was invited to participate in the national competition. He was very excited to share the news. For the national competition, he has friends who live in the area and have already planned how to support him so he can go. I was very inspired by the way he didn’t allow his physical struggles to interfere with his passion for life.

I Found God today in an inspirational person.

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Swoop

Posted by eph21920 on July 31, 2026 in Friends, Fun, Grateful, Laughter

My neighbor invited us over to play cards tonight and my brother and I were happy to join in. Her brother and his wife were visiting, so with her husband there were 6 of us. We learned a new game called swoop. It wasn’t too difficult, but still required an amount of strategy. I had never met the couple from out of town, but we all just seemed to click. It was a night of fun, thought as I learned a new game, and laughter. I am very blessed to have wonderful neighbors.

I Found God today enjoying the evening with friends.

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Getting Bigger

Posted by eph21920 on July 30, 2026 in Baby, Faith, Family, Grateful, Life, Struggles

My son and daughter in law have been going to the doctor twice a week to have ultrasound checks on their baby. She has been very tiny for a long time and the doctor doesn’t really know why. She was in the 1 percentile for size, which is why they started monitoring her so often. They do developmental testing and such as well, and the baby is passing all of those. They take measurements every now and again to estimate how physically big she is. We have all been praying hard for the baby and for my son and his wife not to worry too much. We have put Lourdes holy water on mom’s belly a couple of times and she has received priestly blessings. I talked to my son and his wife today after their appointment. They were excited to tell me that the baby had a good growth spurt and is now estimated to be in the 8 percentile. That is still small, but it is a big gain from where she was. Everyone was grateful and encouraged by the good news.

I Found God today in my newest granddaughter’s growth spurt.

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Days God Gave

Posted by eph21920 on July 29, 2026 in Answer, Family, Life, Rest

I had some weird dreams last night. One of them was about packing books. There were people at the house moving things out and they were waiting for me to get the books packed, which was never ending. I would wake up and remember that I didn’t need to pack anything right now. Then I would go back to sleep and repeat the cycle. When I finally woke up in the morning, I was exhausted and had a headache. I felt like I had actually packed books all night long. I got myself moving and took a couple Tylenol. Part of me just wanted to go back to bed. But, one thing I have been aware of is that my life here is pretty short – and getting shorter. I am trying to live each day to the fullest, doing things that are meaningful. At the same time, I’m trying to listen to my body and take care of it. It’s a balance. Later in the day, I heard a song that reflected my feelings called, “Days God Gave“. Some of the lyrics are:


Hold on to these moments
They’re flying by so fast
Take the time with the ones you love
Like a chance you can’t get back
Make a million memories
So when you’re old and gray
All the faces in those photographs
Smile back at you and say
You didn’t let the days God gave you get away

So, today I got some groceries, cooked a bit, got more things out of the house, and spent some time with my brother just doing things. It was a good day. And I am looking forward to going to bed – hopefully for a more restful sleep.

I Found God today spending the day well, even though I didn’t really feel like it.

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Leaking Windows

Posted by eph21920 on July 28, 2026 in Friends, Grateful, Opportunity, Struggles

I was at an elderly couple’s house today helping them out when a thunderstorm rolled through. It has been such a long time since they have had any rain in their area, and we were wondering if it would actually happen. We could see the dark clouds coming closer and closer and hear the thunder drawing near. Finally, it started sprinkling. Then, bigger raindrops came down. Soon there was a torrential downpour. As the wife and I watched it pour outside the kitchen window, she noticed that on one side it looked like a waterfall as the water streamed down the outside of the window. I went over for a closer look and found that the floor was damp. I then realized that there was water coming in the window and the one directly above it. She called to her husband while I grabbed some towels. Both windowsills were full of water. As I sopped it up, the husband looked at the downspout outside under the windows and wondered if anything was coming out of it. When the rain slowed down, I went out to take a look. The downspout was completely clogged and vented into the ground. I got it all cleaned out and repositioned. A little while later, the second wave hit of heavy rain hit. The downspout was working a little better, but there was still rain leaking in the windows. We got bigger towels and I did the best I could to get everything situated before it was time for me to leave. Luckily, their son lives next door and they would be able to have him take a look when he returned from work. I was happy I was there to discover the problem and do what I could to help.

I Found God today being in the right place at the right time to be helpful.

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Friend’s Courage

Posted by eph21920 on July 27, 2026 in Begin, Faith, Friends, Life, New, Relationship, Struggles

I was talking with a friend of mine today who is nearing 80 years old. She is getting ready to move, which she is not looking forward to. She said she had hoped that her last move would have been her last one. That is what she had planned. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse at the place she is currently living. Evidently the people in charge are making things very difficult on the residents. Her new place kind of fell in her lap, so she acted upon it. She has everything in place and the more she talked about it, the better she felt about the whole thing. Even at her age, she has realized that she can still do hard and scary things. We talked about how hard it can be to make new friends. Her new apartment is actually brand new, so all the residents will be in the same situation. We then realized how exciting it can be and perhaps even easier since everyone will be looking to build community. I was very inspired by her courage and trust that all will work out.

I Found God today in a friend’s courage.

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Afternoon Tea

Posted by eph21920 on July 26, 2026 in Family, Food, Fun, Grateful, Happiness, Relationship

Today my son and his wife treated me and my daughter in law’s mom to tea at one of the local attractions. They were grateful for all the help we have been giving them and also thankful for all we will be doing in the near future. The summer tea menu was light and refreshing for the hot weather. I even brought back a treat for my brother – a Bacon, Cheddar, and Chive Scone with House-made Pepper Jelley. It was very fancy and fun. We took some photos beforehand on the grounds of the beautiful castle. My daughter in law wore a super cute dress that showed off her baby bump. She looked much happier than last I saw her as she had been in a lot of sciatica pain. I was so glad to hear that her chiropractor has been working wonders for her. It is hard to believe that she is scheduled to have the induction in 2 weeks. We talked a lot about upcoming baby things and birthing and such. Everyone is so excited to meet the little one in person. I was grateful for the relationship with my son, daughter in law, and her mom and for the lovely and delicious afternoon.

I Found God today enjoying time with family.

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Blessed By Community

Posted by eph21920 on July 25, 2026 in Food, Friends, Fun, Grateful, Home, Joy, Relationship

Today our community hosted a BBQ, so I made a delicious fruit salad to bring, my brother grabbed the chairs, and we headed over. Even though my brother is here sporadically, he knows a lot of the neighbors. Part of that is because he walks his dog around and meets people. Many of the residence are elderly, but everyone helped each other to make room and set up comfortable seating outside. I was glad there were some tents set up so we could have some shade from the blistering sun. The community honored the veterans before we ate. They gathered them together, took some photos, and gave them a token of appreciation. It was very thoughtful. We were all encouraged to wear patriotic clothing of some kind. I had a couple of t-shirts to choose from. I asked my brother if he had any, and he said he had not been able to find one that fits his style. So, he wore one of the t-shirts that he had designed with an alien hiding inside a cactus. On the drink table, there was a pile of shirts with a sign that said, “Please take one”. I got my drink and sat down. Soon after, I saw my brother coming towards the group wearing a new shirt. He went over to the woman who designed them and had them made and thanked her. Then I saw what he was wearing. It was a patriotic t-shirt honoring the Independence Day of our country. There was a flag on it and a sasquatch. That really did fit my brother’s style. I told my brother that the woman who made the shirt also make our community bulletin boards. She decorates them each month with the appropriate theme and also includes a sasquatch. It’s like a little search and find each month. In all it was a fun time with great food and good conversation. I am so grateful to be able to live in this community that has been such a support to me and my family.

I Found God today in the wonderful community that I live in.

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