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St. Gerard

Posted by eph21920 on April 11, 2022 in Baby, Begin, Children, Faith, Family, Life, Prayer, Saint

My mom and I started watching a DVD about holy relics from saints and holy objects. This reminded me of a conversation I had with my mom the other day. As we were filling out more paperwork, I wrote both my brothers’ full names. They both have the middle name Gerard. Obviously I have known that for a long time, but not sure I knew why. So I asked. My mom said he was the patron saint of expectant mothers. After my mom and dad were married, they anticipated having children right away. However, 4 years later, they were still childless. My mother started praying to St. Gerard asking his intercession to bear children. It wasn’t long after that my mom became pregnant. She gave birth to 6 children, 1 of whom only lived for 2 days. His middle name was also Gerard.

I Found God today in the blessing of children he gave to my parents through the intercession of a saint.

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The Ball Game

Posted by eph21920 on April 10, 2022 in Begin, Bible, Children, Faith, Family, Fun, Grateful, Jesus, Lent, Sacrifice

Yesterday my sister came for the weekend while I had a fun day with my family at a baseball game. In afternoon my son and his girlfriend picked me up and we headed to the big city. There we met my other son and family. We found a place to park not too far away as we got there early for dinner. As we walked towards the baseball park, the energy level in the downtown area heightened. We stopped in a place to eat and it was jammed packed, including all the outdoor seating. However, we waited just long enough for a large table to open up. The music was thumping and I was sure I was one of the oldest people in the place. We toasted to baseball and made our way over to the park after dinner. I was so glad it was good weather. It was my granddaughter’s and grandson’s first time at a major league stadium. One of the very nice attendants allowed them and my son to go way down to the front row to take a picture. Then he gave them a baseball card. After stopping at the store for hats, our party of 8 hiked up the stairs to our seats. We were up pretty high, but right behind home plate so we had a great view. Our team won in a close game at the end, so that was a bonus. It was so good to get out into a completely different scene and enjoy the time with my family.

I Found God today enjoying a baseball game with my family.

Two-fer!

Starting Holy Week

I was sad that my mom wasn’t feeling well enough to go to Mass today, but since my sister was still here, I went and brought back some palms. Later, I got my mom set up to watch the Mass online. I thought it was interesting that both of them mentioned Psalm 22, which Jesus quoted on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”. It was common that the religious leaders at that time would quote the beginning of a Psalm and expect the listener to know the rest. If we listen to Jesus in this way, we realize that while Jesus begins with feelings of abandonment, He is saying that He is in fact the One who is bringing about salvation. Psalm 22 ends with, “The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought.” I just feel that Jesus has so much to tell us, if only we will listen properly. I look forward to Holy Week and hope to listen to Him well.

I Found God today preparing for Holy Week.

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Good Walking Day

Posted by eph21920 on April 8, 2022 in Creation, Family, Joy, Weather

It has been super windy the last couple days, and mom and I have missed our walks. Today it finally calmed down and the sun was shining brightly. We walked in the afternoon when it was the warmest temperature. My mom had a spurt of energy and we made it all the way around the big circle. It may have been a bit much, as she was pretty tired late on. But while we were walking, we enjoyed the sun, the fresh air, the movement, and saying hello to others who were enjoying the day as well.

I Found God today enjoying a good walk.

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Midweek Mass

Posted by eph21920 on April 7, 2022 in Faith, Family, Grateful, Prayer

A few days ago, my mom said that she wanted to go to Confession before Easter. Today was a good day to make that happen. Our church was offering the Sacrament before the noon Mass, so we arrived a little early to get in the line. While we were waiting, those gathered in the church were praying the rosary, so we did as well. The priest was a little late getting started, but we were happy that my mom was able to go to Confession like she wanted. Then we stayed for Mass. When we left my mom said she felt all holy. It was a really nice change to spend time with God in the middle of a weekday.

I Found God today spending time with him at church.

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Morning Faith

Posted by eph21920 on April 6, 2022 in Faith, Food, Friends, Healing

The other day, one of our neighbors’ thought it would be a great idea to have breakfast together. We thought it was a great idea too, so they came over this morning bearing egg muffins and fruit. During our conversation, the wife told us about her ministry to teach English in other countries. She has been working at this for many years. While she and her team teach the language, they also share the Christian faith. Recently, she was very ill and wondering what God had in store for her. God healed her and put another English speaking mission basically in her lap. She decided that she wasn’t going to force it, but if it was meant to happen, God would put it together. And He has. I enjoyed our breakfast and the faith sharing. It was a beautiful way to start the day.

I Found God today in food, friends, and faith.

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In Real Life

Posted by eph21920 on April 5, 2022 in Begin, Family, Friends, Grateful, Life, New

Today as I dashed into the grocery store, I nearly dashed right into someone I knew. A couple in my prayer group was coming out as I was going in and we met right at the doorway. It has been a very long time since we had seen each other in person as our prayer group is still meeting online. We hugged it out. Later, the woman came over and dropped off a DVD that my mom and I look forward to watching. She came in and met my mom and everything. It’s strange that something that should be so normal felt so new. But it certainly made me appreciate the moment.

I Found God today interacting with friends in real life.

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Generosity

Posted by eph21920 on April 4, 2022 in Answer, Generosity

My mom’s friend came over today and told us a story about her son in law. He has been treated for an aggressive cancer and still doesn’t go out of the house very much as a precaution. But, he does pay attention to what is going on outside. The other day his wife was at work, and he noticed some people standing around a truck at the neighbors. He learned that it was the cleaners who had locked themselves out of their truck. They had a long wait until help would arrive. So, the son in law hired the cleaners to come in and do a few things around his house while they waited. I thought that was very generous of him. And his wife came home to a nice surprise.

I Found God today in generosity.

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Fab Five

Posted by eph21920 on April 3, 2022 in Children, Connected, Family, Happiness, Love

Our family Zoom session this afternoon consisted of me, my siblings, and my mom. So there were 5 windows on the screen, one for each child. We named ourselves the “original 5” or the “fab 5”. At one point, my mother realized that fact. She said this was the “first time” she ever saw the 5 of us all together like that. When we ended the call, she commented again on how nice it was to see all her kids together like that. Then she got teary.

I Found God today in my mom’s love for her kids.

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Challenging Friend

Posted by eph21920 on April 2, 2022 in Answer, Friends, Grateful, Life, Love, Relationship

It was a beautiful day today, so I had a beautiful walk with a beautiful friend. She is one who asks thought provoking questions and helps me to see things in a different way. I can easily get caught up in “stinking thinking” and it is so helpful to get out of my own head. I felt so blessed to spend time with my friend who challenges me in a loving way.

I Found God today in my friend.

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Immediate Response

Posted by eph21920 on April 1, 2022 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Job, Prayer

My mom and I said our prayers after dinner as usual, including specific requests for specific people. We have been praying for a family member who has been trying to find a new job. As soon as we finished and my mom blew out the candle, I received a text that the person was notified that they got the job. That was a wonderful, timely response.

I Found God today in a timely answered prayer.

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