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Sweet Girls

Posted by eph21920 on March 30, 2023 in Children, Generosity, Happiness, Joy

I had a chance to go to the mall today. It has been quite a long time since I walked around there, so I meandered to see what had changed – which was a lot. At one end of the mall was a small play place for kids. There were structures to climb on, slide down, and crawl through. As I passed by, I noticed two older girls helping a very tiny younger child. They each had a hold of one hand on either side of him as they helped him climb up a big boulder and slide down the other side. The child was very happy to have the attention. It just struck me as simple, joyful kindness that made me smile.

I Found God today in kind, joyful children.

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Arts and Crafts Day

Posted by eph21920 on March 29, 2023 in Family, Fun

My grandchildren are on their school break this week, so today they came over for arts and crafts day. I had seen an activity that uses egg cartons to make cute flowers and thought that was a fun, easy idea. We cut apart the egg carton and cut each cup to resemble a flower. Then my mom, granddaughter, and I painted them and added a little bling. Then I inserted pipe cleaners for stems. My sister found some adorable chicks in eggs figures that she donated to the cause. My daughter-in-law and older grandsons painted those. They were super cute and each one had it’s own personality. It was a blessing to have such a fun day with everyone.

I Found God today in fun family activities.

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Cabin Cuteness

Posted by eph21920 on March 28, 2023 in Creation, Family, Grateful, Happiness

My mom and I made an impromptu trip to the cabin today to check on a couple of things. The air was crisp and the sky was blue – perfect for a drive. The new car was amazing. It was comfortable for my mom, able to hold everything we needed, and handled beautifully on the windy and dirt covered roads. We didn’t stay long. Just enough to make sure all was well and clean up a bit. While Mom was closing her eyes before the ride back to town, I spotted a couple of deer. One was so small and fuzzy. I think the other was it’s mother. It was cuteness overload when they were both nibbling a small pine branch. They made the day that much better. I was grateful for all the blessings.

I Found God today in a good drive to the mountains.

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Survivor Tree

Posted by eph21920 on March 27, 2023 in Connected, Creation, Death, Grief, Healing, Hope, Tragedy

My sister went to New York to visit a friend and returned today. While she was there, they went into New York City and visited the site of 911 among other things. She showed pictures and talked about the “Survivor Tree”, which I had never heard of. Amongst the rubble of the aftermath of the 911 bombing, a mostly burned pear tree was discovered. At the same time, the tree showed signs of life. They dug it out and sent it to a nursery who brought it back to life. The tree was replanted in the 911 Memorial Plaza. “Today, the tree stands as a living reminder of resilience, survival, and rebirth.” What’s more, there is a seedling program. Several of the pear tree’s babies are now in places around the world where tragedy has struck to help those left remember and have hope. I loved the story, the intention, and the continued connectivity to share love around the world.

I Found God today in the story of the Survivor Tree.

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Newly Confirmed

Posted by eph21920 on March 26, 2023 in Eucharist, Faith, Grace, Prayer, Priest

At Mass today, there were 6 people who entered into the Church. They had all been Baptized in the past, so today they received the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist to complete their initiation. When they were Confirmed, the priest literally poured the chrism oil onto their heads. Then he rubbed it into their head and hair. It was a sight to behold. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for those newly Confirmed. I could smell the fragrant scent of the oil clear back where my mom and I were sitting. It took me back to all those Confirmations I witnessed as a Youth Minister. I’m sure I was privileged to see hundreds of young people receive the Sacrament. I prayed for them then, that they would allow this extraordinary grace of God to become part of who they were. And I prayed for them all today.

I Found God today in the beautiful Sacrament of Confirmation.

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Feeling Better

Posted by eph21920 on March 25, 2023 in Grateful, Healing, Sick

I had a bit of a stomach bug for a couple of days and didn’t have much energy. I was grateful to be feeling better and able to get some things accomplished today.

I Found God feeling better.

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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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