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Many Blessings

Posted by eph21920 on October 28, 2025 in Begin, Connected, Faith, Family, Generosity, Grateful, Joy, Life, Travel

Yesterday while I was driving, I talked to my son who was also driving. We were both heading back home. He had driven his son to the Southeast for his new job, so he was on the southern route and I was on the northern route. We joked about who would cross the mountain time zone first. I was in the lead, but I stopped at a hotel for the night. He drove further into the night and only pulled into a rest stop to get a few hours of sleep. As soon as I got on the road this morning I called him. He was ahead of me. We stayed in touched and shared weather conditions, road conditions, when we crossed the time zone, when we could see the mountains, and when we arrived home. I was about 3 hours behind him. As I drove, I thought about how grateful I was for the amazing trip. I got to visit with extended family who I hadn’t seen in years – some I met for the first time. Everyone was gracious, encouraging, generous, and supportive. The shrines and churches I was able to experience had their own unique characteristics and spirituality. My cousin said I was having a pilgrimage and I think she was right. My little road trip was very healing, uplifting, joyful, and energizing. And to finish it off, my grandson moved to work a job of his dreams. I have much to be grateful for.

I Found God today contemplating His many blessings.

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Holy Family Shrine

Posted by eph21920 on October 27, 2025 in Faith, Family, Grateful, Travel

On my second day of travelling back home, I stopped at Holy Family Shrine in Gretna, NE. It is located right off the highway, but you wouldn’t know it was there unless you knew. A small group of people from diverse backgrounds were united by the Holy Spirit with a vision of the Holy Family Shrine. Through a unique and divine series of events, they discovered they had been enlightened to the same idea: to create a place off of Interstate 80 for travelers to pray and discover the Catholic faith. After two years of searching for a perfect site for the Holy Family Shrine, a site located off the Gretna exit, in the bluffs overlooking the Platte Valley, was secured. You enter into the gift shop which houses the start of the water feature. A large spiral sculpture hanging from the ceiling drips water into a pool which feeds a series of stone channels that lead all the way to the altar of the chapel. The chapel itself is a tall wooden framed structure enclosed with glass. Behind and above the altar is an etching of the Holy Family in a large pane of glass. You can see the interstate from the inside, but you hear the peaceful sound of the water. I spent a lot of time there in the chapel, praying for my family and friends. Then I enjoyed meandering the grounds. It was like a little retreat. The rest of the drive was thankfully uneventful. I talked with one of the caretakers who told me about a couple of potential miracles that occurred there. It truly was an unique place. I am so grateful to see such beautiful, unusual, and serene prayer spaces.

I Found God today in a beautiful, serene Shrine.

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Rustic and Gothic

Posted by eph21920 on October 26, 2025 in Creation, Faith, Family, Grateful, Travel

I was blessed to go to church with a cousin this morning. She told me that her family was founding members of the church. And it was named my dad’s patron saint. More family and God connections. Then I started on my trip back home. I planned my route so I could see couple more interesting places along the way. My first stop was the Grotto and Shrines in Dickeyville, WI. They are the works of Father Matthias Wernerus, a German-American priest who served the parish from 1918 until his death in 1931. The main Grotto is an artificial cave created out of stone, mortar, and brightly colored materials and found objects collected from all over the world. It was built without the use of blueprints, and is supported underground with almost as much material as is visible above ground. In addition to the main Grotto, Father Wernerus constructed several other religious and patriotic shrines throughout the garden area surrounding the Holy Ghost Church. My next stop was the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, in Dyersville, IA. It is perhaps one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the Midwest. Original construction began in the year 1887 and was finally completed in 1889 when the church was dedicated on the feast of St. Francis Xavier (December 3). All of the basilica’s interior decorative painting was subsequently completed by the year 1905 and was then restored in 2000-2001. The 2 places of worship were almost opposite from one another in construction, but both were beautiful in their own unique way. Then, since Dyersville is where they filmed “Field of Dreams”, I had to stop there too. I was grateful for another blessed, fun day, safe travels, and good weather.

I Found God today in the beauty of differently constructed churches.

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Race Cars and Cousins

Posted by eph21920 on October 25, 2025 in Connected, Family, Grateful, Healing, Life, Past, Present, Relationship

Yesterday I learned that the cousin I just met drives a dragster. It was ironic because my grandson is currently moving to work for a race team. That has been his dream since he was born. My cousin had a family get together this evening and he had his dragster stored there. I was excited to see it and climb into it. My cousin told me all about it and how it worked. Other people took photos of me in the car and I sent them to my grandson without an explanation. He was impressed and somewhat confused as to where I was. I told him the story and sent him a couple more photos. Hopefully the 2 race fanatics will be able to meet in person some day. The next younger generation of cousins were also at the gathering. I had last seen the girls when they were early teens and younger, now married and one was a mom. They were both just beautiful young women with the biggest hearts. We took many family photos before we all dispersed and promised to get together again sooner. Everyone has been so kind and gracious. The connections we all made were amazing. I am so grateful to have so much fun meeting new family to me and getting to know all of my cousins better.

I Found God today enjoying spending time with cousins.

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More Family Connections

Posted by eph21920 on October 24, 2025 in Connected, Family, Fun, Grateful, Life, Opportunity, Relationship, Travel

Today I met my cousin’s brother and sister for the first time. Their grandfather and my grandfather were brothers. They told me a great story. One time their grandfather was helping at a boy scout camp when their father, who was a child at home with his mother, got very ill with appendicitis. At that time, the doctors would not accept a mother’s – or any woman’s – signature of consent to treat him. They would do so only with the father’s permission. So, my grandfather huridly drove to the camp, picked up the boy’s father, and raced him back to the city in order to sign for consent to treat the child who was starting to get sepsis. Then they were able to save the boy’s life. So, basically, my grandfather played a part in saving their father’s life so they could exist. It was a little much to contemplate, but well worth being grateful for. In the evening, we got together with my other cousin. We had dinner and went to a beautiful light display at one of the local museums. This set of cousins had not seen each other in many years, but we all just connected like I think only family can. I am feeling so grateful and blessed for this time.

I Found God today in more family connections.

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Family is Treasure

Posted by eph21920 on October 23, 2025 in Connected, Faith, Family, Grateful, Relationship

This morning I spent some alone time walking along the shore of the lake and taking in the beautiful Fall scenery. I was glad I took the time as it just got colder as the day went on. Then I made my way to another cousin’s house. His wife has the same name as my mom, which made it a little strange to say. My cousin – actually 2nd cousin – worked alot with my dad on their genealogy. I shared the big album that my dad and sister had put together. He had much of the information and took photos of the things he didn’t have. We talked all about the times they came to visit and met each other’s children. He reminded me that he had also helped work on the cabin. I think everyone my dad knew had a hand in building it. We also shared stories of caregiving and God showing up in tremendous ways. It’s amazing how I can feel so close to family who I had spent so little time with. They had a picture hanging on their wall that read, “Cherish your family for they are your treasure. A storehouse of riches, wealth beyond measure.” So true.

I Found God today a reminder of the treasure of family.

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Memory Lane

Posted by eph21920 on October 22, 2025 in Connected, Family, Grateful, Life, Past, Travel

Today I left my aunt’s house and headed for the town where my parent’s were born and raised. I had been in contact with the museum there about donating some of my treasures. They were my first stop. The young woman who I had been in contact with appreciated the historical items. We talked about my parents’ family history and she helped me to locate the bakery that belonged to my grandfather. Ironically, she lived only a block away. On my way there, I drove past the college that my father attended and imagined him there. I found the bakery building easily and took some photos. It was used only for making the baked goods which were decorated and sold at the store not too far away. There was someone inside and I imagined my grandfather making bread with his bakers and my mother and the family living in the upper level. I figured I had to try out their treats so I headed over to their store. On the way there, I passed the small airport and imagined my grandfather, aunt, and others lining the runway with their vehicles and headlights at night for the airplanes to land. I chatted with the people at the bakery which was called “Tamaras”. They enjoyed hearing about the history of their bakery. Their baked goods were yummy, but I missed the anise cookies that my grandfather used to make. Then I spent the afternoon with another cousin. We shared the struggles of our caregiving experiences. Her mother died only a few months after my father. She got out some old photos and I got out mine. We reminisced and learned new things about the family. This trip is proving to be full of memories – past and present, planned and unexpected.

I Found God today in many wonderful memories.

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Buying Cheese and On Our Knees

Posted by eph21920 on October 21, 2025 in Faith, Family, Grace, Grateful, Mary, Miracle, Peace, Travel

Some time ago, a friend gave me the book, “Monuments, Marvels, and Miracles – A Traveler’s Guide to Catholic America”. I have had the dream of traveling and visiting many of the sites. The first time I was on the highway to visit my aunt, we drove by a sign to a shrine and I thought it might be in the book. Yesterday when I drove my sister to the airport, my aunt was with me and I asked her about the shrine when we passed the sign. She told me she had been there many years ago and had always wanted to go back. When we got home, I looked in my book and it was listed. So, we made a plan to go today. First we went to lunch with my cousin and told her about it. She really wanted to go too, so she picked up my aunt and I and off we went. On the way, we stopped at a local cheese shop that I wanted to go to. There was probably a hundred different cheeses and it was hard to decide what kind to get and to bring back to family. It was quite fun filling my basket with assorted flavors and the infamous cheese curds. Then we went to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion which is the first and only approved Marian apparition site in the United States.  It is a sacred site where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Adele Brise in 1859. Since then, pilgrims have come to its grounds to pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Champion and Adele Brise. Many have encountered healings or blessings that they attribute to the intercession of our Blessed Mother and Adele. It felt strange that it was in an out of the way place surrounded by farmland. We spent some time in the beautiful upper chapel where they have Mass. Then we found our way downstairs where part of the original chapel from 1880 had been preserved. It was warm, peaceful, and felt holy in the small enclosed space filled with candles. We each lit a candle and said some prayers. Before we left, I did a quick loop around the outside Stations of the Cross and Rosary path while my cousin and aunt took refuge in the car from the frigid wind. As we left we talked about how peaceful it was there. It really was a little retreat that we all felt blessed to experience.

I Found God today experiencing a Holy place.

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Safety and Companionship

Posted by eph21920 on October 20, 2025 in Doctor, Family, Grateful, Hope, Relationship

Today my sister had a flight back home from an airport a couple towns over. My aunt wanted to come along for the ride. But, she was also having some trouble with her leg swelling and wanted to talk with her doctor. She was able to make the phone call before we left and make an appointment, so decided it was fine to leave. As we were on the road, the doctor’s office called and suggested she go to an urgent care to make sure there wasn’t an emergency situation and changed the appointment for the day after tomorrow. Since we were already on the road, my aunt just wanted to keep going and go to the urgent care when we returned. The drive was beautiful. The red and orange fall leaves were glowing in the sunlight. My aunt noticed how things had changed since she the last time she had driven that far, which had been a very long time. She stopped driving on the highway on her own about 10 years ago. She realized she was nervous and that her reaction time was not good, so she made the decision to stop. She is still pretty self aware. We all enjoyed the drive, but sad to say goodbye to my sister. When we got back to my aunt’s house, she found lots of things to do and reasons not to leave for the urgent care. I told her I would be happy to take her and we finally got there in the late afternoon. They ran a few tests, assured my aunt that there was nothing emergent going on, and encouraged her to wear compression stockings. My aunt was very relieved and found the stockings when we got back to her house. I could see she was more relaxed, although tired. She is hoping to get a good night’s sleep after waking up worrying the past couple of nights. My sister kept in touch and made it back safely. We were all grateful for the safety and companionship of the day.

I Found God today in safety and companionship.

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Family Caregivers

Posted by eph21920 on October 19, 2025 in Connected, Family, Generosity, Life, Past, Relationship, Sacrifice

My aunt told my sister and I some great stories today of caring for others in many ways. She reminded us that her mother had a baby who died shortly after he was born. I had forgotten all about it. He was buried in a grave along side of many other infants. For many years, one of the uncles would place a cross at the site, as there was no headstone. After some years, my aunt had a headstone placed in the spot as she wanted to make sure it was marked. That really touched my heart. She also told us about their “Opa” – grandfather – who lived with them later in his life as the family cared for him. I remember my mother telling me about him too. She and her sister were just children at the time. He would sit and look out the window for long periods of time. One day when they came home from school, they couldn’t find their Opa. They looked all over, even in the closets as he may have been hiding from them. Then their mother told them that he had died. They learned very young how to care for others with dignity and respect. She also told us a funny story about neighbors taking care of others. When she was young, they lived in a house that was close to a small airport. If an airplane was going to come land at night, someone would put the word out and man neighbors drove their trucks out to the airport and lined up in specific spots with their headlights on. This would light the landing strip so the airplane pilots could see where to go. My aunt said she thought it was so much fun to get to hop in the bakery truck and go see the airplanes land at night. She told many other stories of how she and other family members cared for others. I loved hearing them all.

I Found God today in my aunt’s stories of taking care.

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