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Expert Plant Advise

Posted by eph21920 on August 22, 2026 in Answer, Creation, Family, Grateful

Today as I was watering the plants, I saw a couple of leaves on one of the orchids that were yellowing. I remembered that I noticed them last week and wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. They looked even worse now. I have been caring for the orchids just as my mother taught me to and they have been rewarding me with almost continuous blossoms. I haven’t really had any problems with them at all. Since I don’t know much about the orchids, aside from my current weekly routine, I took a couple of pictures of the plants and sent them to my sister, asking her to call me. After just a minute or two, she called. She told me to go ahead and cut the leaves off and gave me some ideas as to why that might have happened. She gave me advise on one of the other orchids as well. I felt pretty lucky to be able to get expert plant help at a moment’s notice. And I loved just talking with her.

I Found God today in my sister’s expert plant advise.

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Greek Festival

Posted by eph21920 on August 21, 2026 in Connected, Faith, Food, Friends, Fun

I met some friends this evening at a local Greek Orthodox Church. They were having their annual festival. We got some delicious Greek food including Gyros and baklava, and enjoyed perusing the vendor tents. One of them had icons in various sizes for sale, with different saints and holy events depicted. We also went inside the church and were surprised at how small it was. There were only about 20 small pews in total. Icons adorned the walls – there were more of the works of art than there were places for people to sit. One of the priests was there and one of my friends started asking questions. He gave us an overview as to how the Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church became divided. At the beginning of Christianity, there were 5 major locations where the church was thriving. Each had their own bishop. The 5 bishops would meet regularly to discuss and agree upon matters of faith. Basically, the Catholic Church gave all authority to the bishop of Rome – the Pope. So, while the Greek Orthodox and Catholic faith are very close in their beliefs, the Greek Orthodox maintains their own head of the church and doesn’t recognize the Pope as having all the power. It was interesting to listen to him and wonder if these churches who are so close in faith would reunite. My friends and I had a good time eating, enjoying each others company, seeing the beautiful icons, and learning about the Greek Orthodox Church.

I Found God today learning more about the history of the Church.

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Holy Ground

Posted by eph21920 on August 20, 2026 in Bible, Connected, Eucharist, Faith, Humility, Prayer, Present

I spent some time in Eucharist Adoration early this morning. It was so calm and peaceful before the rush of the day started. There were a couple other people there as well. I typically don’t look at people when I’m there as I feel it is a very private, personal time with God and I don’t want others or myself to feel uncomfortable. When I was leaving this morning, I just looked at the floor. Then I noticed bare feet. I briefly glanced at the gentleman who was in prayer and had his bare feet resting on the floor. I have seen people get comfortable in the small chapel, but it was a surprise. When I went outside the chapel door, I noticed a pair of sandals off to the side. Then I realized that the gentleman had taken off his shoes to enter into the Holy Ground where God is present. This practice harkened back to Exodus 3:5 when Moses saw the burning bush and was in the Presence of God. I thought it was a beautiful symbol of humility.

I Found God today in a symbol of humility before God.

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More Granddaughters

Posted by eph21920 on August 19, 2026 in Baby, Connected, Family, Grateful

I received a text this evening from a cousin who included another cousin as well. He shared a photo of his new granddaughter. It turned out that his daughter was also induced on August 10, but she also delivered on that same day. Then my other cousin said that her daughter in law is expecting a daughter in the next couple of weeks. It was pretty amazing to all of us and we shared what a blessing these new babies are.

I Found God today in shared baby granddaughters.

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One Hectic Week

Posted by eph21920 on August 18, 2026 in Baby, Dog, Family, Grateful, Healing, Home, Life, Struggles

My new granddaughter was born one week ago, and it has been quite a week. There was planning and expectations that went right out the window. I have said many times that everything changes when you have a baby. My son and his wife have been on a roller coaster of emotions which were all amplified due to the lack of sleep. But, they have already been making hard decisions for themselves and their new baby. They were able to bring her home today with a clean bill of health, other than a little additional oxygen that she will need for a while. That was such a relief and a blessing. When they arrived home, their dog and I greeted them with enthusiasm. The baby had her eyes open and I talked to her as she looked and looked at me for quite some time. She was definitely more aware than last I saw her a couple of days ago. Everyone was so happy and grateful to have the family all together and home again.

I Found God today having my son’s family home together again.

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Improving

Posted by eph21920 on August 17, 2026 in Baby, Family, Grateful, Healing, Struggles

I went back to my son’s house this morning so he could go back to the hospital and be with his family. The dog and I went on a hike first thing before it got too hot outside. We are very much enjoying our time together. She is getting more exercise and so am I. In particular, I feel safer with a dog when I go out for hikes by myself. I heard from my son throughout the day as the baby’s test results came back. Everything was showing no sign of infection. She has been able to keep her body temperature up after they got her warmed up. They reduced the amount of oxygen she was needing. And eventually they stopped the IV. The lactation nurse came in to help with nursing, which was very appreciated by my daughter in law, so that seems to be going better as well. When my son got back to the house tonight, he was optimistic and joyful – a stark contrast to his demeanor last night. It was good to see.

I Found God today as my new granddaughter is improving.

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Tiny Jesus

Posted by eph21920 on August 16, 2026 in Baby, Family, Love, Sick

My son and his wife were concerned about their new baby as she seemed to be lethargic and not eating well. After talking with their doctor, they took her to the emergency room. When they arrived this morning, her temperature was down, which meant she could have an infection of some kind. They are keeping her in the hospital with some oxygen as they await the results of all the tests they are doing. I spent the day at their house with their dog. On our walk this morning, I found a tiny Jesus that had, “Jesus loves you”, on his sash. It was standing on the top of a rock. It made me smile and I knew that everything is going to work out ok. I took a picture of it and sent it to my son and his wife to encourage them.

I Found God today in a reminder of His Love.

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Generous Founding Father

Posted by eph21920 on August 15, 2026 in Faith, Generosity, Past

Today I spent time with a group of friends from church. We went to brunch, then we toured a local attraction. It was a castle tucked back against the foothills that was built by one of the city’s founders in the late 1800’s. He was way ahead of his time with the extras that he added to the home such as his own electric plant to power the buildings, a dairy to make sure his family was getting clean milk, fire hoses that were on all 3 levels, fire doors, an elevator, and central vacuum to name some. He was a Christian man and also very generous. He owned much of the young city, and gave several plots of land to churches as it was important to him to spread the Faith. At Christmas time, he and his family would send carriages to the city to pick up the children and bring them to the castle. There they held a Christmas party where each child received a gift with their name on it. The woman giving the tour said that a few years ago, she met an elderly woman who was one of those children. She remembered what a fun time it was and said she still had the hand made Christmas tree ornament that she received. There were many interesting stories about the castle and the city. I really enjoyed spending the time with friends learning about one of the men who founded the city.

I Found God today learning about the generosity of one of the city’s founders.

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Cooler Air

Posted by eph21920 on August 14, 2026 in Creation, Grateful, Weather

This evening, we had some powerful storms come through. First the wind picked up. I opened the windows in the house immediately to let some cooler air in. The sky looked volatile and there was plenty of thunder and lightning. Then the rain came down in torrents for quite some time, so I had to close the windows. After the rain stopped, I was able to open everything back up again. The temperature had dropped 20 degrees. It has been so hot and dry and our air has been smoky for weeks now. This cool air and real rain is so welcomed. My brother and I spent some time outside just enjoying the fresh air, until I actually got chilly and had to come in. It really was such a nice change from the extreme heat we have experienced this summer.

I Found God today in cooler air.

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She’s Home

Posted by eph21920 on August 13, 2026 in Baby, Family, Grateful, Home, Joy, Life, Love

I admit I was a little surprised when I heard from my son today and he told me that his wife and new baby were going to be released from the hospital. Both of them received a clean bill of health. I guess the doctors and nurses were even surprised that the little one was doing so well. My son came to the house for a few minutes prior to them and brought a tiny hat that the baby had been wearing. He showed it to their dog and she sniffed it for a bit. He left the hat there while he went back to the hospital to collect his family. I showed the dog the hat every now and again and she would sniff it. Later in the afternoon I got the word that they were coming home. My daughter in law’s mother and father came over also. This is their first grandchild, so they were super excited. When the trio came into the house, my daughter in law sat on the sofa and my son brought the baby in the car seat. Their dog was already very interested by the time they got to the sofa. She sniffed her and wagged her tail. When they got her out of the car seat, the dog sniffed some more and booped the baby on the top of her head. Then she laid down, seeming to have had her curiosity satisfied. I got to see in person just how tiny the baby is. She is perfectly proportioned with chubby cheeks and a little belly – just a very petite little girl. I encouraged them to take off her hat so we could see her full head of black hair. Of course, I was in love with her immediately. It didn’t take long for feeding time to arrive. It was heartwarming to see my son and his wife work together to get everything situated, in place, and provide what was needed to care for their new daughter. My daughter in law’s parents and I left so they could get things worked out. I continue to be grateful for a safe delivery, healthy granddaughter, and for being able to meet her today.

I Found God today in my new granddaughter.

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