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Baby Giraffe

Posted by eph21920 on November 8, 2022 in Creation, Family, Fun, Joy, Life, Opportunity

My mom loves the zoo. Actually, we all do. A couple weeks ago, my mom and I watched the video of one of the giraffes giving birth. It was amazing and horrifying at the same time. She gave birth standing up, so the poor little thing dropped about 6 feet to the ground. Evidently, that’s what gets the baby to start breathing. Nature is amazing. Today was a beautiful day, so my brother and I took our mom to the zoo. The first stop was the baby giraffe. It was fun to see her in real life. She was so cute and so small compared to the others and stayed close to her mom. My brother fed the giraffes, but we couldn’t talk our mother into it. There weren’t too many people there and because it is tucked into the mountain side, the sun stopped shining very early. It was fairly serene as we walked through and stopped to look at the animals my mom chose. Later in the evening, my mom asked what my favorite part was. My answer was the cute baby giraffe. No surprise that it was mom’s favorite as well. It was a blessing to all get out and enjoy the zoo again.

I Found God today enjoying the zoo.

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The Shadowbox

Posted by eph21920 on November 7, 2022 in Answer, Death, Family, Love

My brother hand made a beautiful shadowbox to display my dad’s military certificate, medals, epaulettes, photo, and flag. It was truly a labor of love. He had never done anything like that before, but a friend who had all the tools and knowledge helped him work it out. He brought it with him and showed it to the family. Of course, we all got teary eyed. Then we had to decide where to put it. We basically left it up to my mom who was torn between putting it in her room or displaying it in the living room. After investigating several options, we didn’t really find a suitable space in the living room and Mom had said from the beginning that she wanted it in her room. She and my brother looked at the big wall and talked about what to move where. Then she had to rest. When she got up, she exclaimed that she knew the perfect place. The shadow box must go above her bookcase. She felt very strongly that is where it should go. It was decided.

I Found God today in my brother’s work of love and my mom’s epiphany for the placement of the memorial.

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A Magical Day

Posted by eph21920 on November 6, 2022 in Birthday, Family, Fun, Life

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.

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Solitude

Posted by eph21920 on November 5, 2022 in Creation, Grateful, Joy, Life

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.

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Can’t Run From Grief

Posted by eph21920 on November 4, 2022 in Answer, Death, Grateful, Grief, Humility, Struggles

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.

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Made For Him

Posted by eph21920 on November 3, 2022 in Answer, Connected, Creation, Faith, Family, Life, Prayer, Relationship

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.

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All Souls Mass

Posted by eph21920 on November 2, 2022 in Connected, Death, Faith, Family, Grief, Healing

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.

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More Little Saints

Posted by eph21920 on November 1, 2022 in Children, Faith, Saint

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.

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Fun With Food

Posted by eph21920 on October 31, 2022 in Family, Food, Fun

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.

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One Good Turn

Posted by eph21920 on October 30, 2022 in Connected, Food, Life, Problem, Stranger

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.

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