Friends

Effective Prayers

Our neighbor has been in the hospital for almost 2 weeks now. We have had her husband over a couple of times for dinner and good conversation. We have also been praying for her. Last night my mom got out the prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes and the holy water. We said the prayer […]

A Different 4th

To prepare for this year’s 4th of July and knowing that my mom, dad, and I would be at home, I wanted to find ways to make it a little festive. I looked up celebratory red, white, and blue recipes. Most of them used strawberries, which my mom cannot have. There were also the basic […]

Fantastic Friends

Today some friends from the northeast flew into the big city nearby. They were to meet a group of their friends for a reunion of sorts up in the mountains. Luckily, they had a somewhat early flight and I was able to meet them for lunch before they drove to their  destination. I picked them […]

Long Lasting Love

Today I was very happy to be able to attend the 50th wedding anniversary party for one of the couples in my prayer group. The event was hosted by one of their daughters’ at her home. I had heard a lot about the family and seen photos, but this is the first time I met […]

Right Place, Right Time

My mom’s friend came over today for their weekly visit and piano duets. They were working on a particular difficult piece of music. My mom apologized for getting lost a couple of times and talked about how challenging it was. My mom’s friend replied that it was ok and it was really just a matter […]

So Far, So Good

A friend of mine received his first chemotherapy treatment a couple days ago. I visited with him tonight and was pleasantly surprised to see how well he was feeling. He looked good and was energetic. He even played a few rounds of golf with his son this morning. I had shared a bottle of Lourdes […]

Surprise Wedding Party

I love the water aerobics class that I go to. It is a great workout. But also the people are super nice and thoughtful. One of the young lifeguards got married recently but did not have a big ceremony, or a shower, or a party of any kind. My aerobics instructor suggested having a party […]

Good Friendships

My son was on a trip the past week and was the best man at his friend’s wedding. He and the groom met online as they were choosing roommates for their first year in college. They quickly became good friends and ended up rooming together for the full 5 years of their college career. I […]

A New Angel

The other morning I received word that a coworker and friend had passed away. I read through her obituary today and reflected on her life. I met the tiny woman when I started working for the church about 15 years ago. Although small in stature, I quickly realized she had a big faith. She shared […]

God is Still Present

Tonight I met with my “Small Church Community”. One of the men had extensive cancer surgery a few weeks ago. He and his wife were able to join the group tonight. They shared how they felt God with them during this difficult time, even as he gets ready to undergo chemotherapy. It was so good […]