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Visiting Hawaii

Posted by eph21920 on March 23, 2023 in Creation, Joy

Virtually. After dinner, mom wanted to watch a little TV. We love beautiful nature shows and when I searched, Aerial America popped up so we gave it a go. The first location in the series was Hawaii. The episode showed each major island from above and highlighted some specific stories. The different terrains and colors were spectacular and the waterfalls were endless. It was interesting to learn how the volcanos formed and effected each island. It was gorgeous and we were very satisfied with our program choice. Having never visited Hawaii, this was the next best thing.

I Found God today in experiencing beautiful nature from afar.

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Miracles Everywhere

Posted by eph21920 on March 22, 2023 in Connected, Faith, Life, Miracle

I met with my prayer group tonight. We read ahead to this Sunday’s Gospel which is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. We talked about how God does miracles around us and for us all the time, but we may not necessarily be aware of them. Or perhaps we become aware of them, but forget. Once we get into our daily life and activities, work, joys, struggles, etc. it is too easy to forget how good God is to us. Each person in the prayer group had an example of a miracle God performed in their lives – physical healings, voices that saved them from certain tragedy, unexplained coincidences that drastically changed the course of their life for the better. It is sad, but true that we forget these amazing events. Writing this blog is for me a kind of reminder. I look back over my day, and realize the ways that God has been present and active in my life. It is a blessing that I highly recommend.

I Found God today remembering His miracles.

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Good Samaritan

Posted by eph21920 on March 21, 2023 in Answer, Car, Problem, Stranger

I stopped at a store while I was out today, and in the parking lot at the entrance was a car with a flat tire. The older man who owned it had pulled out the spare and tools and such. He looked a little distressed. I went on into the store and as the guys rang up my purchase, I asked it they changed tires. One of the guys said the man had already come in and asked them for help, but they couldn’t because they were on the work clock. I was wondering to myself how I could help him without physically changing the tire, which I am incapable of. I headed out the door and saw a young man changing the tire. I was happy about that, and so seemed the older man.

I Found God today in help for a stranger.

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On a Tangent

Posted by eph21920 on March 20, 2023 in Connected, Family, Grateful, Happiness, Life, Past

When my mom’s friend comes over, she is always prepared with news and topics for conversation. Usually we go off on tangents during our visits. I look things up on the internet and we confirm facts or learn new things. Today she talked about a book she was reading that was historical fiction. It included references to the magician Houdini. She knew that my dad’s dad was a magician, so we started talking about him. Then we got out the family history scrapbook that my dad made with my sister. It is loaded with information of his family tree going way back. We found the pages of my grandfather and his magic shows. He was part of the Houdini club in his area and had correspondence from Houdini’s wife, but I’m not sure if he ever met the famous man or not. I remembered my dad and sister working on the album. My dad worked so hard on it for quite some time. Then as he declined, he didn’t want to so any more and my sister finished it with his approval. I – we – are so happy that this was completed before my dad died. It is such a treasure.

I Found God today in my dad’s memories.

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Finally Shen Yun

Posted by eph21920 on March 19, 2023 in Fun, Joy, Music, Opportunity

Three years ago my sister and I purchased tickets for Shen Yun. It was cancelled due to COVID-19. For the past three years, we have been trying to reschedule the tickets to no avail. There was always something that would deter us from going. Earlier this week, my sister told me the show was coming up and asked if I wanted to go. We contacted my sister and my son who would make sure my mom was cared for and we chose our seats for the show. It actually all worked out. My sister and I got all dressed up and went to the program. The dancing was amazing. The stories were entertaining. The music was interesting. The special effects were creative. The colors were vibrant. All together the show was spectacular, even though there were definitely political overtones. It was so nice to get out for a while and experience a different kind of beauty.

I Found God today in the beauty of a show.

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Dog Fun

Posted by eph21920 on March 18, 2023 in Dog, Family, Fun, Joy

Tonight we took care of my son’s dog for the evening while he went out and about. She’s so soft and furry to pet, which of course she loved. We had fun watching her antics as she pulled out the toys she wanted. She found a tennis ball and we tried to play catch. When she didn’t catch it, she would growl and vocalize in her Husky voice. I made her a brain game I had seen. I rolled up some of her kibble in some towels, tied them together and gave it to her. She wasn’t sure what to do at first, so I put some of the food loosely inside and showed it to her. Then she got the idea. She got them untied pretty quickly and shook the towels so the kibble came out. It kept her quite busy and us quite entertained. She was a wonderful, joyful change of pace.

I Found God today having fun with a dog.

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Cooking

Posted by eph21920 on March 17, 2023 in Family, Food, Happiness, Music, Saint

Since it was St Patrick’s Day today, after my mom got dressed in her green attire, she went through her song books and played Irish songs on the piano. I loved listening to her play. For my part, I spent the majority of the day in the kitchen. I made Guinness beef stew and two loaves of sourdough soda bread for dinner. I also prepared a loaf of sourdough bread to bake in a couple of days. It was the most time I have spent in the kitchen in 3 months – since COVID. It felt good to do some serious cooking even though I was pretty tired by the end of the day. The meal certainly made it worthwhile.

I Found God today enjoying cooking.

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Pulling Back the Curtain

Posted by eph21920 on March 16, 2023 in Answer, Death, Hope, Life, Love, Struggles

It is easy for me to get caught up in the things that aren’t going well in my life and the lives of my loved ones. Not to mention the seemingly degradation of the world. In this morning’s meditation, Jeff Cavins said if we were to pull back the curtain between us and the spiritual world, we would be amazed to see how God is involved in our lives – in the world. In the afternoon, I heard almost the exact same words in a song. Yes, God got my attention. As I was pondering this, my thoughts went to my dad, which they often do. I thought about how difficult the last few years were as the Alzheimer’s ramped up. But, then I thought about how he is with God. God has him now. Immediately I was made aware that God always had him. My dad belonged to God from the beginning and He has always “had” him. Even in all the struggles and sickness, if I could have pulled back the curtain, I would have found God there holding on to him – and me. I was grateful for the hope and peace that brought.

I Found God today realizing His unseen presence.

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Importance of Prayer Time

Posted by eph21920 on March 15, 2023 in Answer, Faith, Happiness, Life, Prayer

I listened to a reflection this morning on the importance of prayer time. They said that the more we pray, the more we know God and His love for us. The more we know God, the less we are distracted by the happenings around us. We chase the things that we think will make us happy less. We worry about problems and setbacks less. Sometimes I think I need to just pray all day.

I Found God today in a reminder of the importance of prayer.

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Both the Birds

Posted by eph21920 on March 14, 2023 in Creation, Happiness, Life

For the last couple of days, we have been watching one hawk bringing sticks into the nest. Today we saw both the birds together. They were very busy this morning and we watched them for about 2 hours before they left for the day. They took turns breaking sticks and twigs off the neighboring leafless trees and adding them to their nest. In between, they would take turns roosting on a neighbor’s roof. For a brief moment, they were together on the roof and I was able to snap a picture. It was quite an exciting morning. Then this evening they stopped back by, I guess to check on things before they left for the night. I don’t know where they go, but we’ll be happy to see them when they come back in the morning.

I Found God today watching the beautiful hawk couple.

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