My brother is here from out of state for a visit, so the family decided it would be a good time to celebrate my birthday. They decorated with a unicorn theme, complete with a large balloon bouquet, headbands, and accessories. We took lots of silly pictures and laughed a lot. It was such a fun day.
I Found God today celebrating another milestone with my family.
There were a couple things that needed to be done at the cabin, so I went up there by myself. It was therapeutic. I put on my favorite Matt Maher CD for part of the drive and sang along. I was surprised I still knew the words as it had been a long time since I had listened to it. While I was there, I took care of things and did some cleaning. Sometimes I had my music on and sang loudly. Other times I enjoyed the quiet. I talked to God a lot. I also made sure to take some time to sit on the deck and enjoy the scenery, the sun, and the crisp mountain air. During the drive home, I came around a corner to a beautiful sunset. I thanked God for the sight and took a couple pictures. It was a wonderful day.
I Found God today in solitude.
Last night I went to the grief support group. One thought that struck me was that you can’t run away from grief. It will catch up to you one way or another. When I got home, I looked through the mail and saw a newsletter from the Hospice organization. The first article I came to was about how we cannot hide from grief. We will heal if we confront the pain and work through our emotions and thoughts. I know when I am feeling particularly sad or angry or something else, I would much rather just try to forget about it instead of dealing with it. I am very grateful for people who have encouraged me to go through the support groups. They have helped me to acknowledge the difficulties I am having and learn ways to cope and move forward.
I Found God today in grief support groups and encouraging people.
Shortly after my dad died, a caring relative sent us the book, “I Heard God Laugh” by Matthew Kelly. My my mom picked it up last week and started reading. She said it was really good for her and so easy to read. Today she had to read an excerpt to me that was very meaningful to her. “The men and women of every era yearn for connection and relationship with God, because we were made for that. Birds were made to fly, fish we’re made to swim, and human beings were made to love God and each other.” I loved that she loved those words and read them to me.
I Found God today in the reason for our existence.
All Souls Day took on new meaning this year with the death of my dad. The church had a Mass dedicated specifically for those who died this past year. I brought a couple photos of my dad to the church. Mom picked out the one with him wearing his military uniform. One photo was fastened on a banner that will be displayed in the church for the month of November. The other was placed on a table in the reception area. My mom and I attended the Mass. As soon as the Litany of the Saints started, I teared up. I was brought right back to Dad’s funeral Mass. The readings and music were all very familiar. The priest reiterated the importance of praying for those who have died to hurry their souls to be with God. After Mass we went to the reception. When we walked in the room I was again whisked back in time. There was Dad’s picture beneath the huge crucifix, just as he was laid beneath the cross prior to the funeral Mass. We sat with a woman I met at the grief support group and her mother who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. We had quite a bit in common and my mom enjoyed meeting them. We also heard stories about others who had died. That helped me realize that there are many people who have lost people they love and there is indeed support and healing with and through others. When I think of my dad now, I think of him with his family. And a Hospice nurse gave us the image of him preparing a home for my mom and the rest of the family. That is exactly what he would be doing.
I Found God today praying for my dad.
All Saints Day today! Unfortunately, mom’s sciatica was acting up today, so she didn’t feel well enough to go to Mass. Fortunately, there is YouTube. We selected a video from the plethora that popped up when we searched, hoping it was a professional recording so my mom could hear and understand the words. It was. And as a bonus, the church had a school. The 4th grade class was in attendance in the small chapel and all were dressed as their favorite saints. They were so cute. The priest described a couple of them in their own words. At the end of Mass, they all went around the altar and sang, “When the Saints Go Marching In”. It was too cute and a very nice way to celebrate without being in person.
I Found God today in more little saints.
A couple weeks ago, a friend shared pictures of her family Hocus Pocus movie night with themed food to go along with the festivities. I realized that Halloween would be on a Monday and that my mom’s friend would be over, so decided to make them a Halloween lunch. I had fun looking at all the different ideas and then putting together the treats. We had Frankenstein wraps, big mouth monster apples, and guacamole spewing from a jack-o’-lantern. My mom and her friend thought they were pretty special to have such an extraordinary meal. They are.
I Found God today having fun with food and seeing my mom and her friend enjoy it.
I rarely go to the grocery on a Sunday night, but I did today. The place looked like a whirlwind went through it and there were many empty shelves. I went down one aisle and spied a woman climbing on the lower shelf to reach a large bag of Halloween candy pushed all the way back on the top shelf. I offered to help, only to find that I couldn’t reach it either. We looked around for something long. She found another package that she was able to use to knock the bag to the edge of the shelf and grab it. She thanked me for my help and on I went. I went searching for the last item on my list and found it . . . pushed back on the top shelf in the cooler. I needed two cartons of egg whites and was able to scoop one to the front using the same technique as the woman I had just met. The second one, however, was out of reach. I was contemplating climbing right into the cooler when I heard a voice behind me say, “I can get that for you.” It was a very nice young man who was able to reach the carton with no problem. I thanked him for his help and smiled as I thought about the scenario and the saying: One good turn deserves another.
I Found God today trying to be helpful and then being helped.
It has been years since the wood burning stove has been used at the cabin, so I had appointment to meet the chimney sweep up there this morning. I was glad that mom decided to come too. It was a beautiful clear day and the mountains were stunning with a layer of the first snowfall of the season. The chimney sweep was super nice and helpful. He even agreed to let me take a video of him as he explained the best practices of using the stove. I wasn’t sure when it was installed, but found the instruction booklet with some notes and a receipt for a cleaning done in 1991. In our conversation, he said things that really struck me such as, “We can only move forward,”and “Our world puts too much emphasis on money,” and “I loved hearing my 95 year old neighbor tell stories of the past.” After he left, mom and I had lunch and she laid down for a nap under the blanket with angels on it. When she woke up, she said she had the best sleep in a very long time. Since she was feeling so good, we decided to stop for Mass in a newer church in one of the towns on the way home. Mom had been wanting to see it. When we arrived, we parked in the handicapped spot and made our way to the entrance. The church was set on a hillside. To reach the main door, there were 4 sets of stairs. We looked further and realized there was also a handicapped ramp that zig-zagged 4 times across the front to get to the entrance. Mom had her walker, so we started up. It wasn’t long before she had enough. I made the comment that the ramp makes handicapped people walk 4 times further than anyone else. A woman heard me and said that there was a wheelchair. She went in and a young man came out with the wheelchair. We got mom all set and he wheeled her in. The church was very modern and very nice. Mass was beautiful, because it was Mass. The people were super nice. After, the young man wheeled mom all the way down the ramp while I pulled the car closer. Mom was pretty happy about that. As we drove home, we talked about how every new thing we do is always an adventure. I congratulated mom for participating in another big day.
A strange bonus,when we got back home, I told my sister the story of the chimney sweep. She went downstairs and came back up with a note that my dad had written. It read, “Wood burning stove installed Oct. 1989. She had just come across the note today.
I Found God today in another adventure of a day.
I talked with a friend tonight about, well, everything. We used to go camping many years ago with her neice who is now married and has children of her own. That in itself is kind of hard to believe. She told me that her niece’s children celebrated All Saints Day with their religious education classes. They did research about the different saints and chose which one they wanted to dress up as. The 10 year old girl chose to be St. Rosalia who is invoked in times of plague. It was said that she saved her native city from a plague after her remains were processed around the city 3 times. Seems like a fitting choice. The 7 year old boy chose St. Padre Pio. He even had red marks on his hands to portray the stigmata and explained it to his teacher. This was the 2nd year he chose that saint. It seems that he has a special interest in him. In all the options that children – and their parents – have to do with their time, I thought it was pretty awesome that this is how this family has chosen to use some of their time. And I know it will be a blessing to them all and others as well.
I Found God today in a couple of little saints.
Still Finding God 