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The Little Apple Tree

Posted by eph21920 on April 10, 2026 in Creation, Death, Grief, Healing, Life

Tonight I am sharing a beautiful post from my daughter in law’s sister that really touched my heart:

This little apple tree started from a single seed. One I found inside the last apple my Mom had in her fridge after she passed.

At the time, I didn’t know if anything would come from planting it. But I tried anyway. Back then, it felt like holding onto a small piece of something that still belonged to her.

Now, watching it grow has become something so much bigger than I ever expected. It’s a reminder that even after loss, life continues in quiet, beautiful ways. That something new can take root from something thats gone.

I find myself looking at it often and thinking of Mom. Tonight is no different.

I Found God today in a beautiful story of new life.

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Even in a License Plate

Posted by eph21920 on April 9, 2026 in Car, Faith, Humor

My son calls me to chat sometimes when he’s driving. I always enjoy that because we do just talk about all kinds of different things. This afternoon we were talking about going to church for Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. We talked about how beautiful it is for people entering into the Catholic faith. As we were discussing, my son saw a car with the license plate that read, Awesome God. Indeed. I love that God uses all different ways to give us a little nod.

I Found God today in His little way of showing up.

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Sweet Support

Posted by eph21920 on April 8, 2026 in Hope, Life, Present, Struggles

Today I witnessed 3 specific incidents of people supporting others. Yesterday, I received a text from the group chat of the people I used to work with. A couple is expecting a baby. The mama had to have surgery due to problems with her cervix. Everyone in the group sent prayers and encouragement. Today we found out that all went well. Everyone sent more grateful and thoughtful words. I spent some time at the Newman Center in the afternoon. One of the girls was really stressing about a project she was trying to work on. She talked with one of the guys who gave her his time and good advice as he closed his laptop and focused his attention on her. She thanked him and went back to her study spot. After a bit, 2 other students spent some time encouraging her. It was sweet. On the way home I stopped at the gas station after waiting as long as I possibly could. At the gas pumps behind me, I heard the sounds of a frustrated man. A man on the other side of his pump asked if he needed some help. The frustrated man said thank you, but he just got it working. The other man made small talk with him and he seemed to calm down. It was heartwarming to see people encouraging and supporting one another.

I Found God today in supportive people.

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Free Yardwork

Posted by eph21920 on April 6, 2026 in Answer, Faith, Generosity, Grateful, Healing, Home, Life, Service

I do occasionally waste time scrolling through Facebook videos and such. One set of videos that I have enjoyed is of a young man who has his own lawn care company and does work for free for people who are in need. He takes on yards that are extremely overgrown for one reason or another. Watching the videos in fast motion of the clean up is amazing and satisfying. He usually uncovers sidewalks, driveways, porches, and the like.  The people who live in the houses are usually skeptical at first, then grateful when everything is finished. One particular resident was a thin, frail, elderly woman who basically stole his heart. The young man has 3 million people who subscribe to his channel, and much of his fan base was asking about the woman. He started a fundraising effort for her to help fix dangerous things around her house. In the midst of it, she had a stroke and fell and broke her hip. She was in the hospital, then rehab for several months. While she was away, a friend of hers coordinated contractors, and got a lot of work done at the house. The video of her coming home after rehab showed her sitting in her little sunroom. She talked about how grateful she was to everyone, how much she loved them, and Jesus loved them, and God loved them, which was, according to her, the most important thing. Because of the funds that have been raised for her, she was able to go back to her house and have 24/7 caregivers tending to her. The young man’s generosity led to other people wanting to help the elderly woman and it seemed to me that it all came together at just the right time.

I Found God today in a generous young man who inspired generosity in others and the grateful heart of an elderly woman.

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Lit Candles

Posted by eph21920 on April 5, 2026 in Connected, Faith, Prayer, Youth

Last night I went to the Easter Vigil – my favorite Mass of the year. The celebration started outside in the dark by the fire. The new annual Easter Candle was lit by the fire. Then, as we went back into the church, a few people lit their individual candles from the large

Easter Candle and shared their flames with others. From there, those candles lit other candles until all of us were back in our seats with lit candles. Gradually, more lights were turned on and the church glowing church got lighter. I love the symbolism of going from the dark into the light as Jesus was in the dark tomb, then full of Resurrected light. Later in the celebration, one of the young people from the Newman Center got Baptized, Confirmed, and received his first Holy Communion. It was so moving to me to see him be so serious, reverent, and emotional. There were about 10 others who received their Sacraments as well. After they were Baptized, they received their Baptismal Candle, lit from the Easter Candle. They held their candles while they were Confirmed. After everyone was Confirmed, they went out into the congregation as we got out our candles again. Everyone got their candles lit from one of the newly Baptized, or symbolically as people again shared the flames. This time, the action showed how we are supposed to go out into the world and share our faith. From there, it spreads. I love the rich symbolism and each action celebrated in the Mass.

I Found God today in rich symbolism in the Mass.

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The True Cross

Posted by eph21920 on April 3, 2026 in Faith, Family, Friends, Grateful, Humility, Jesus, Prayer

It is tradition to generate a crucifix at the Good Friday celebration. Tonight at church, they had 1 large cross for the congregation to touch, kiss, or respect in some way as we remembered that Jesus Christ died on that cross for us. It took a long time. As I was praying before and after my turn, I thought about what it would have been like to be at the foot of the real cross in real time when Jesus was crucified. I pictured him hanging high above me and not knowing if I would even be able to look up into his face. I would be sad, guilty, humbled, and not wanting to see his suffering. I remembered a show that I watched about the church that held relics of the “True Cross” that actually held the body of Jesus. I thought about how amazing it would be to be in the presence of such a thing. Then, at the end of the celebration, the priest brought out a relic of the True Cross. I was amazed. As I stood in line to venerate it, I saw people touching rosaries and scapulars to it. I took off my necklace of many religious medals and got the rosary out of my purse. When I knelt at the foot of the True Cross, and looked at the encased relic, it was so tiny I could barely see it. I thought that must be how big my cross is compared to what Jesus had to bear. I touched my things to the relic and prayed for everyone in my life – everyone. I was grateful for the beautiful, holy experience. As a bonus, when I walked out of church and looked up at the sky, there was Orion. I felt my dad giving me a little nod.

I Found God today in a holy night.

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Faithful Young People

Posted by eph21920 on April 2, 2026 in Faith, Grace, Lent, Life

Tonight I went to the Holy Thursday Mass that was concelebrated by a friend of mine and several young people from the Newman Center attended. At the washing of the feet, the campus minister and 3 of the young people went up front, barefoot, to have their feet washed by the priest. One of the young men has been going through preparation and will be baptized and receive the Sacraments on Saturday. It was a beautiful celebration tonight and will be quite an event on Saturday, I’m sure. My heart swelled as I saw the faithful young people worshipping and kneeling on the hard floor before the Blessed Sacrament after Mass. I pray that their path will be fruitful and God will be gracious to them.

I Found God today in faithful young people.

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Real People

Posted by eph21920 on April 1, 2026 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Life

I was talking with a couple of friends today who were sharing their experiences in Rome. That is on my list of places I would like to visit. One young woman talked about how the Bible became real to her upon seeing St. Peter’s church and other churches that housed the remains of disciples and saints that have gone before us. She realized that the Bible isn’t a fairy tale. It’s about real people who were alive and roamed this earth. They shared faith and worshipped God and gave their lives believing in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I loved listening to her enthusiasm and her story.

I Found God today in a woman’s encounter in Rome.

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Gracious People

Posted by eph21920 on March 31, 2026 in Answer, Grace, Grateful, Humility, Problem

Yesterday I learned that there was a mistake made at work. I’m not even sure if I did it, but it was likely I had. I thought about it all night long and lost sleep over trying to figure out in my mind what might have happened. I prayed about it and tried to just put it in God’s hands. After all, there was nothing I could do at that point. I went into work this morning with a more positive attitude, knowing that God had the situation under His control. When I arrived, I spent the first half an hour trying to resolve the problem with no luck. I had to give in. When my boss came in, I told him how I tried to correct the situation, but just couldn’t and apologized. I had to call the client and apologize as well and then do my best to fix what I could. I was grateful that the client was understanding and so was my boss. The situation that kept me from getting a good night’s sleep was done and over in minutes. And I lived to tell about it. I am definitely my own worst critic. And all the worst case scenarios I thought of did not occur. Not only that, the client and my boss were very gracious. I was very grateful.

I Found God today in gracious people.

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Prayer To Begin

Posted by eph21920 on March 30, 2026 in Begin, Faith, Lent, Prayer

I saw a beautiful prayer today:

Lord, as Holy Week begins, slow my heart down. Help me not to rush past this story I’ve heard so many times. Let me feel it – the humility, the sacrifice, the depth of your love. Walk with me through each day, through the joy and the sorrow, through the waiting and the cross. And prepare my heart for the hope that’s coming.     Amen.

I Found God today in a beautiful prayer to begin Holy Week.

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