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Don’t Panic

Posted by eph21920 on May 11, 2026 in Answer, Creation, Faith, Life, Trust

When I arrived to help at my friend’s house today, the wife was in her room watching TV. She likes to watch YouTube. I went in and sat with her. She was watching a video about how Yellowstone will be exploding sometime in the near future. Unfortunately, she does get caught in the click bait snippets and shocking headlines. The other day she told me that North Carolina is falling into the ocean. After the Yellowstone video, I told her about my brother working there for the summer and how much he loved it. He also acknowledged that it is an active geothermal site and that anything really could blow at any time. I said that also, California has been “going to fall into the ocean” for decades now, probably longer. And the San Andreas fault could swallow us all up – that was another video that was about to come up. I told that we know at some point or another God is going to take us all of the face of the Earth, and that it’s a good thing we have faith. We can go about our day trusting that God has got His universe under control and we don’t have to worry, or panic, or be afraid. We laughed and I could see her relaxing. Then we prayed the rosary.

I Found God today trusting that He has His universe under control.

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Grateful For Family

Posted by eph21920 on May 10, 2026 in Children, Family, Grateful, Relationship

This morning at Mass before the usual Mother’s Day blessing, the priest announced that a very special woman was about to celebrate her 98th birthday. Her son led her out of the pew by the arm and together they walked up the stairs to the altar. When they reached the priest, the woman gave him a big hug and patted his shoulder. She hugged the deacon too. She face the congregation and we all prayed for her. Then she hugged the priest and deacon again before returning to her seat. She was so sweet. And I was impressed as to how well she moved. Then all the mothers received their blessing. Just when I got home, my son and family stopped by unexpectedly. We visited for a while and they went to take my daughter in law out shopping and to pick up dinner. It’s a difficult time of year for her as it is when her mother died, but she seemed to be doing ok. I was missing my mom too, so I wore her silky “piano pants” that I had been hanging on to. They are white with large black notes and musical symbols all over them. I also wore her musical note charm necklace. It made me happy. In the afternoon I went over to my other son’s house and congratulated his wife on her first Mother’s Day. Even though the baby hasn’t been born yet, my daughter in law is doing all she can to be a good mother to her. They are so excited. We each made a pizza and watched a movie. We both bought each other the same bouquet of flowers, which was pretty funny. In all, it was a really nice day. In church I was reminded of how blessed I am to have my sons and the relationships I have with them and their families. Very grateful indeed.

I Found God today grateful for my family.

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Pre Mother’s Day

Posted by eph21920 on May 9, 2026 in Family, Grateful, Grief, Healing, Life, Music

This morning I was thinking about my mother as some photos from last year popped up. They were bittersweet memories. I decided to listen to some music and found a couple of CD’S that my dad recorded of my mom and her friend playing the pianos. I thought it would be a good way to spend pre-Mother’s Day with my mom. Every time I listen to her, I am more amazed at how talented she was. I am so grateful we have the recordings, especially since it is hard for me to remember the wonderful moments. One of my brothers has been digitizing the old home videos we have and asked if I had any more. I checked the old camcorder bag, and sure enough there were a couple in there. One of them was titled “Horowitz”. I was actually able to get the camcorder working and viewed the tape. It was a video of my mom playing the piano. When my other brother came to the house today, he was able to get the camcorder connected to the TV and we both watched. According to the sign at the venue, the piano she was playing was “The Horowitz Steinway”. It was beautiful to see and hear my mom as her fingers trickled over the keys. Afterwards, she and her friends discussed the sound of the piano. It was a blessing to me to experience and remember my mom in such a meaningful way today.

I Found God today remembering my mom on Mother’s Day Eve.

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Service

Posted by eph21920 on May 8, 2026 in Death, Faith, Grateful, Life, Service

When I got the job at the church that I worked for, I was introduced to the maintenance man. I quickly learned that he was much more than that. He and his crew took care of everything needed on the property – inside and out, scheduled all the facilities, and made sure everything was ready for every event that happened. As time went on, I realized he also took care of whatever the Sisters needed at the nearby Monestary. Then I found that he helped care for his sister who had special needs. As a single mother, he came to my rescue several times when I faced situations that were too much for me. I know he did the same for countless others. He never boasted of any of the things he did, nor did he complain of personal struggles, but quietly and humbly went about his life. This generous man passed away a couple of weeks ago after battling a long illness. To some he was rough around the edges, but to me his love for his family, his faith, and his humble service to others defined who he was. I am grateful that I knew him.

I Found God today remembering a man dedicated to serving others.

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Hoping For Pilgrimage

Posted by eph21920 on May 7, 2026 in Faith, Hope, Life, Opportunity, Plan, Prayer, Travel

Some friends and I have talked about doing a pilgrimage of the Camino Portuguese. The Camino de Santiago is the most popular Christian pilgrimage in the world today. We have been considering the route that goes through Portugal. St. James travelled the route as he preached Christ’s lessons of unconditional love and forgiveness. It is a dream that I hope we are able to accomplish at some point. Today I was looking at the Pilgrim’s Guide book my friend sent me. I was already inspired and getting excited just by reading the forward. I do like to ponder, and there was plenty to think about as the author described not only the physical trek, but the spiritual one as well. Here are some of the lines that were inspirational to me:

Perhaps pilgrimage…will lead us to that point of understanding where there is no longer any separation between path and goal, where life itself is a pilgrimage and every step a prayer.

If I look on the world…with my physical eyes alone, I see an image of divisiveness and chaos with the only certainty being death and decay…the world itself is already halfway through it’s biological life – even the sun will die. I find these thoughts wonderfully liberating because it frees me from my bondage to the material and opens a way to knowledge of Higher Worlds.

We have to let go the safety of the familiar and dive into the unknown, with nothing but our faith in God to support us.

I Found God today thinking about going on a pilgrimage.

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Family Bonds

Posted by eph21920 on May 6, 2026 in Connected, Family, Friends, Grateful, Home, Relationship

My friend who was visiting has done a tremendous amount of research into her and her husband’s family history. She was very passionate about the project and excited to tell me about the different people they have been in touch with. I thought about the genealogy work that my dad did and shared the albums that my parents and sister put together. My friend was amazed at all the photos and information that was captured in the books. She got teary eyed as she told me what a treasure it was to have this family history. I am very grateful that we have it for sure. Along the way, my friends have found some potential relatives who are very excited and open to meeting up and learning more about one another. There have also been some people who do not want to be in contact at all. This afternoon, we bid farewell as they travelled to the next city to enjoy time with the husband’s nephew who they have met only 1 other time. Tomorrow they will be going to another state to visit with his birth mother who he found and was able to connect with only a few years ago. I am so happy for him to have these newfound relationships with his blood relatives that he never knew before. As meaningful as family bonds are, my friends have also felt like family to me for many years. Having them stay with me in my house felt very natural. I was so grateful for the extended time we were able to spend together.

I Found God today in family and friendship bonds.

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Day Well Spent

Posted by eph21920 on May 5, 2026 in Family, Friends, Grateful

Today my friends and I went downtown for lunch. We enjoyed the meal and the colorful waiter who kept telling us that he worked in the kitchen. We weren’t really sure if they just pulled him out to work the floor today, or if it was now his regular job. He seemed a little – well a lot – confused and forgetful. But he was entertaining. Then we went to the mining museum, which is one of the fun places to take visitors. They had one of the rescue cages that they used to rescue miners in Chile in 2010. There were 33 miners trapped in a collapsed mine 2300 feet underground for 69 days. Miraculously they were all rescued. It was an amazing story. For dinner I made Mexican food and my sons and their families joined us. My friends got to meet my granddaughter for the first time. They were involved in youth ministry when my younger son was in high school, but had not seen him for over 10 years. My son proudly showed off his wife and her baby bump. The gentleman was part of the crew of men that helped teach my younger son how to be a loving, faithful, and respectful man in the world. I have always been grateful for that. It was a good day well spent.

I Found God today spending the time with good friends.

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My Friends Are Here

Posted by eph21920 on May 4, 2026 in Friends, Fun, Grateful, Home, Life, Travel

A couple months ago, some friends of mine said they would like to visit. I was elated and started thinking about setting up a room for them and what fun things we could do. I enjoyed getting things cleaned up and organized as the time for their visit got closer. Today was the day. When they arrived at the airport, they rented a car and drove to my place. We were all so happy to see each other. I gave them a tour of my house and pointed out all the interesting items in what still feels like a museum. But I enjoyed talking about my parent’s legacy. We swapped stories of family estates and health and diets and retirement. Unfortunately the weather doesn’t look great for the next couple of days, but I’m sure we’ll make the best of it. It was so fun for me to have my friends from across the country in my house and I look forward to spending a few days with them.

I Found God today in my friends at my house.

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Peace

Posted by eph21920 on May 3, 2026 in Answer, Connected, Death, Faith, Grateful, Peace

I visited the cemetery today and placed some flowers on my mom’s headstone to honor her birthday. It was so peaceful there. As I looked around at all the neatly aligned identical gravestones I thought about how each of them represented one person in the US Military. Each person at this cemetery did their part to keep our country and the people in it safe. Their lives were likely hectic, challenging, and potentially dangerous. And now, God willing, they were resting in peace. I wondered why it was so difficult to find true peace on earth. Perhaps it is our propensity to satisfy our own ego, or insist that our ideas and beliefs should be held by everyone. Leaders of countries can desire power at the expense of many lives. I believe that at the core of wars and conflicts is a lack of love. Since God is love, it is a lack of God. God is peace, and if people are living their lives without God, there will not be peace. I am grateful that God has shown us a way to find the true peace that we so desperately seek. And I pray for more and deeper conversion and peace.

I Found God today in His promised peace.

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Houseplants

Posted by eph21920 on May 2, 2026 in Creation, Family, Grateful, Joy

Today is my mom’s birthday and it has been almost 2 years since she died. I watered her plants as I usually do on Saturdays. Today I thought more about what that process has been like. I have never been very good at taking care of houseplants. But as I cared for my mother, when it was too difficult for her to take care of her plants by herself, she taught me all about how to do it. I have tried to continue the watering and fertilizing routine that she taught me. Almost 2 years later, they are all still alive and thriving. The orchids, which are the more tricky ones, are doing amazingly well. One has 2 flowering stems on it, another has a stem that is currently blooming, and the 3rd hasn’t bloomed in years, but now has a stem that will be flowering in the next month or so. I think it’s a miracle that any of the plants are even still alive. To have the orchids continue to produce more flowers than ever is incredible to me. I am grateful that my mom taught me how to care for them and feel like perhaps she is helping out just a bit. I always remember her with joy when I see the beautiful orchid flowers.

I Found God today in thriving houseplants.

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