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Experimental Surgery

Posted by eph21920 on March 6, 2026 in Answer, Doctor, Friends, Healing

A friend of mine had experimental surgery on her back a couple days ago. I have been thinking of her and praying for her. This evening I gave her a call. She said that today she was a little sore, but that the surgery was nothing short of a miracle. It was the precursor to a more invasive procedure. She has had back pain for years and tried many things including 2 different types of injections. The other day she had a small device implanted just under her skin in her back. There were wires attached to the device with the battery pack and control panel taped to her side. The leads basically blocked the pain signal. And it worked for her. Her normal pain from the bulging discs was gone and she was able to stand up straight for the first time in a very long time. This procedure was temporary and she will need to go back and have it all removed. However, since it worked for her and she was able to tolerate it, hopefully soon she will be able to undergo the full surgery to permanently implant the device. It was amazing to hear the details of how everything worked. I was so glad that she was doing well and already looking forward to the next, more extensive surgery.

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

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Finding God in All Things

Posted by eph21920 on March 5, 2026 in Connected, Faith, Saint

Today I came across the words, “finding God in all things”, attributed to St Ignatius Loyola. When I researched further, I learned that the Society of Jesus – Jesuit – order was founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius. Part of their mission statement reads:

“Our spirituality is grounded in the conviction that God is active in our world. The spiritual path laid out by Ignatius helps us discern God’s presence, to find God in all things, reaching out to a diverse, grace filled yet imperfect world. We bring this spirituality into the wider human context as we strive for social justice, peace and dialogue.”

I had never heard this before. I guess I wasn’t the first one to come up with the idea of finding God in every day life. And now I feel connected to the Jesuits.

I Found God today in the Jesuits finding God.

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Celebrating New Adventures

Posted by eph21920 on March 4, 2026 in Family, Grateful, Happiness, Life, New, Opportunity

My son has been searching for a job for several weeks now after being laid off. He and his family have been talking about moving further east. He actually went out there a couple weeks ago and applied for jobs and looked at homes. On Monday he got a call with a job offer that he was excited about. Tonight we all went to our favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate. I heard all about his new job and looked at some of the houses they were considering. My granddaughter talked about the middle school that she may be going to. We thanked God for all His blessings. It was good to see them all so excited.

I Found God today seeing my son and his family happy over a new adventure.

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Visitors Coming

Posted by eph21920 on March 3, 2026 in Friends, Fun, Grateful, Joy, Travel

The other day I heard from some friends who were thinking about coming this direction and stopping to visit for a couple of days. Today I got confirmation of their flight information. I am super excited to host them and show them some of the beautiful scenery and do fun things with them.

I Found God today excited for friends to visit.

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Origin Story

Posted by eph21920 on March 2, 2026 in Home, Life, Past

Today at work, an older couple came in to pick up their tax return. We chatted for quite some time and they told me about the husband’s grandfather who immigrated here from Czechoslovakia. After he arrived, he settled in the Western Plains and was a homesteader. The couple was still living on that same property. The old house was still on the land and the husband had bolstered it so it would stay up, but it is in no condition to live in. The wife showed me a photo of it. I enjoyed talking with them and listening to their story.

I Found God today in the origin story of an older couple.

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Every Life is a Story

Posted by eph21920 on March 1, 2026 in Answer, Faith, Grateful, Lent, Life, Past, Relationship

I listened to a reflection by Fr. Mike Schmitz this morning. The idea that he expanded on was a simple, yet incredibly deep truth. At least, to me it was deep and there were times during the day when I thought of it. He said,

“Every life is a story, every person is an author, and the only question is, “Who will you become at the end?”

This was very profound to me. As Fr. Mike elaborated on the concept, he asked what would the title of your story be if you were to write your autobiography right now. What defines you? Or what are you allowing to define you? I thought about the different stages in my life and how different I have seen myself as my life has progressed. When I was a child, I probably would have named my story, “Left Out: The Sickly Child”. Later I may have titled it, “Unforgiven” or “Unaccepted Grace” as I felt I had made too many mistakes to be fully loved by God. At another time, perhaps it would have been, “Listening, Waiting, Moving” when I was trying to hear what God wanted for me and waiting to move until He prompted me to. Looking back on my life now, which has always revolved around my faith in some capacity, perhaps now I would title my story, “Unworthy, But Grateful”. I know I am not worthy of God’s love, yet He loves me fully now as He has loved me fully when He breathed life into me. I am incredibly grateful for the relationship I have with Him, while realizing there is more to come. That can be somewhat overwhelming and comforting at the same time. I know that whatever my future brings, it will be in conjunction with the presence of God.

I Found God today reflecting on my life story.

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Generous Founders

Posted by eph21920 on February 28, 2026 in Connected, Faith, Generosity, Past

Today I went with a group of friends to a museum which was the oldest house in the city. The beautifully preserved brick house was built in 1873 by a former military man. He was good friends with and served under the general who was a founding father of the city. Both of the men were Quakers and their dream was to build a city based on morals, ethics, and values. The only reason they were involved in the civil war was that they felt strongly that no person should belong to another. It was interesting learning the history of the house, the family, and the city. What impacted me the most was how modestly the family lived and how generous they were with their wealth. They lived intentionally and loving, building up their surroundings for the good of others. They were forward thinking while being living examples of their faith. Learning all of this really gave me a new perspective on the city itself and the vision it was built on.

I Found God today learning about the generous founders of my city.

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Lenten Food

Posted by eph21920 on February 27, 2026 in Faith, Food, Lent, Prayer

Today my son and his wife started on a road trip. They are visiting some south-eastern states to see if they may want to move there. They have talked for a couple years about living in a smaller community, especially now that our city has gotten so big and expensive. I talked to them for quite some time while they were driving. They had just stopped at McDonald’s for their Friday Filet O Fish. A couple weeks ago, I talked with some of the college students about what to eat during Lenten Fridays and we discussed the Filet O Fish. I personally love them. I wondered if it was actually a sacrifice to eat one if I enjoyed it so much. One of the young ladies said it was like eating lobster, if you consider it a delicasy. In any case, my son and his wife were enjoying their Filet O Fish. My daughter in law said she has been feeling pretty well as she is now beginning her 2nd trimester of pregnancy. I figured she must really be doing well if she was able to tolerate fish. I just had a vegetable meal, but then got really hungry. I offered it up as a little sacrifice. I remembered a prayer that has been introduced during the Hallow Lent series, “Jesus empty me….fill me…use me.” That prayer is actually easier to say when your belly is a little empty.

I Found God today thinking about Lenten food and offering a sacrifice.

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Elderly But Spry

Posted by eph21920 on February 26, 2026 in Humor, Life, Stranger

I had a fun telephone conversation with an elderly gentleman at work today when I called him for some information. When he answered the phone, I didn’t think it was the 84 year old I needed to talk to as he sounded young and energetic. It was, in fact, him. He lives in the northeast and said he had been shoveling for days. He told me about some of his business ventures, how he used to drive a truck, and how he refuses to use technology – including computers. He said that after his wife passed away, his daughter tried to get him to carry a cell phone, but he would have none of it. If anything happened to him, he would figure out what to do like always. And if anyone needed anything from him, they can call his home phone or come knock on his door and speak to him in person. He was an active, funny, generous, man and talking with him made my day.

I Found God today in a spry elderly man.

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Prayerful Neighbors

Posted by eph21920 on February 25, 2026 in Faith, Friends, Grateful, Healing, Prayer

As I was outside welcoming my neighbor home, another neighbor joined us. She had shared the story of her husband’s emergency surgery on our neighborhood prayer email. He had heart surgery last week, then starting having pain in his legs. It turns out that he had blood clots in both legs. The hospital he was transported to was not equipped to handle such a situation, so he was airlifted to another hospital. Evidently, he really enjoyed that part. He was in the hospital a couple of days and was now back home. Everyone has been praying for him and we were happy to hear that he was home and doing well. My conversation with both neighbors made me once again grateful for this community that I live in.

I Found God today in healing for a friend and prayerful neighbors.

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