Hope
May the Lord Bless You
My sister came over today. It was good to see her back to her usual energetic self after her spider bite and flu episode. At one point she was whistling a tune. My mom asked her what the melody was. It was “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” She said it just popped into […]
Tricky Maneuvers
My dad’s physical therapist came today and did some balancing tests with him. At first my dad was afraid to try some of the maneuvers. But after some encouragement from the therapist, he amazed himself and all of us. The therapist then took him through some exercises and new walking techniques. He was reassuring and […]
Staying Positive
Before I left visiting my dad this afternoon, the case worker stopped me to discuss discharge. She said she had been on vacation and just had a meeting with his team to review. They feel it would be best for him to stay longer than initially thought and has insurance authorization. I thought it sounded […]
Do Your Part
Tonight in Bible class, the teacher told a great story that shows how God is present right here and now. The other day she was working on her computer and a friend came to mind. She felt she should send her a note, but she felt she didn’t have time and tried to talk herself […]
Respite Retreat
This weekend I was truly blessed to be able to take a personal respite retreat. I was really desiring some time to just be alone and take a little break. As I thought and prayed about the best way to do this, I was reminded of a monastery I had driven by several times that […]
Set Your Sights
I woke up this morning feeling somewhat troubled. I had a dream that reminded me of my faults and failings and not so great decisions I made in the past. As I tried to shake the awareness of guilt and regret, I read a meditation that talked about the necessity of leaving the past and […]
Miniature Problems
Tonight on the news I saw a story about some veterans who were able to take a ride in an old World War 1 airplane. They were all in their 80’s. In the interview, one woman who actually piloted the same kind of airplane commented how different things are when you’re high above the city. […]
Facing Temptation
This morning I read the meditation from Dynamic Catholic, “Temptations will be with us for our entire life. However, their presence or absence is no indication of personal holiness; how we deal with them is.” Richard J Hauser, SJ. This quote really struck me on a couple different levels. First is the reminder that regardless of […]
Valuable Insight
Today my parents both had a normal follow up doctor’s appointment at the cardiologist. The nurse who did all the paperwork and checking in spent some time with us on a completely unrelated topic. My dad has a yet to be diagnosed condition and the woman told us all about her husband who had a […]
Drowsy Heart
This past week, I met with my prayer group. We read and discussed the Gospel reading for today – the First Sunday in advent. I heard it at church this morning and we read some of it at dinner tonight as part of a reflection. Each time, there was a particular phrase that stood out […]
