Struggles
The Serenity Prayer
Recently, a friend’s mother passed away and I have been praying with her prayer card. It has the serenity prayer on it. Many people know the first part by memory: “God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.” […]
I Made It
Listening to music today, I heard the song, “I Made It” by CAIN. Here are some of the lyrics: ‘Been a long yearCried some hard tearsOn some dark nights;Tried to pray throughNothing seemed toMake the wrongs right;Oh, I can’t believe the pain I’ve seenBut looking backThrough every stepYou never leftAnd I’m so thankful that;I’m coming […]
At Peace
Today I went to a friend’s mom’s funeral. I met her several years ago after both our dad’s died. We were both attending the grief support group at the church. Her mom was going as well. During the session, the mom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, which she vehemently denied in her strong New York accent. […]
Sweet Support
Today I witnessed 3 specific incidents of people supporting others. Yesterday, I received a text from the group chat of the people I used to work with. A couple is expecting a baby. The mama had to have surgery due to problems with her cervix. Everyone in the group sent prayers and encouragement. Today we […]
Illuminate
Yesterday I went to a women’s retreat at a local parish. I had seen advertising for the Lent retreat in the past, but have never been able to go. This was the first retreat I had been on in about 15 years and I didn’t really know what to expect. When I arrived, there were […]
Friend From the Past
In the past couple days, I have seen 2 friends unexpectedly. Both of them had husbands who had Parkinson’s disease. I met them at the exercise classes that I used to take my mom to. While our people were exercising, we would go for a walk and talk. That was many years ago. We have […]
God’s Good
I went for a walk with a friend today who shared some of the recent medical struggles her husband is having. He has been suffering from a traumatic brain injury for years. His decline is slow and painful for him to experience and for her to watch. They are both very faithful Christians. As we […]
Not Always Fine
Today I received a Valentine from a good friend that included photos of her and her lovely family. She also shared some of the struggles she is having. This woman has been a mentor to me for many years. Her faith and love for people is inspiring. When she shares the difficult moments, I pray […]
Placed in My Heart
I watched some of the Olympics tonight. Of course, the athletes are amazing and do things that used to be impossible. And some of the personal stories are heartwarming and heartbreaking. That was the case for Maxim Naumov, an American figure skater whose parents died in the terrible airplane crash last year. He has continued […]
Kindness and Patience
It has been busy with people bringing in their tax information at my new job. Many people take advantage of the online portal, but many do not. Several times today we were visited by older ladies who were recently widowed. They were doing their best to take care of the paperwork. The CPA who I […]
Still Finding God 