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Crew at the Zoo

Posted by eph21920 on October 2, 2021 in Creation, Family, Fun, Grateful, Happiness, Laughter

My daughter-in-law has a friend visiting this weekend. I told her I would be happy to take them out and about somewhere. They chose to go to the zoo. So, we all went. There were 10 of us total, including my mom, my sister, both my sons, the grandkids, and my daughter-in-law and her friend. It was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect. Almost all of the animals were out and about and fun to watch. The views from the overlooks were spectacular. There was a lot of laughter. Enjoying the day with family had me feeling very grateful indeed.

I Found God today enjoying a fun family day.

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Loving Actions

Posted by eph21920 on October 1, 2021 in Doctor, Family, Grateful, Love, Problem

Today is the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux. I received a bag in the mail today that had a picture of her and the words, “Do all with love”. My sister of the same name came this afternoon and I gave her the bag. In my opinion, everything she does is with love. She was about to start cooking dinner for us all, when she cut her finger. My son took her to the urgent care to get stitches. He stayed with her for the longer than it should have taken time, because he was there with love. It’s not the way we wanted to end our day, but it was a minor issue. I have been praying the novena to St. Therese, and I thought these words were fitting, “Loving God, St. Therese experienced every day as a gift from You. She saw it as a time to love You through other people. May I, too, see every day as an opportunity to say yes to You.”

I Found God today being aware of loving actions.

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Blessed in Relationships

Posted by eph21920 on September 30, 2021 in Family, Grateful, Opportunity, Relationship

Last night I met with my prayer group online for the first time in over 2 months. I somewhat touched base with them during that time and it was great to be with them. I asked my son if someone would like to come sit with my mom so I could have this little bit of private time. My daughter in law volunteered. I told my mom she was coming over to play with her for the evening. She laughed and wondered what she liked to play. They spent some time visiting, working on a puzzle, and eating ice cream. At one point I could hear my mom playing the piano and so could my prayer group. We took a couple of moments to just listen. I was so happy to meet with them. I felt very blessed that my mom and daughter in law have this opportunity to build their relationship.

I Found God today blessed in relationships.

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Our COVID Story

Posted by eph21920 on September 29, 2021 in Doctor, Family, Prayer, Sick

It all started a little over 2 weeks ago when we found out the facility that my dad is in had a couple cases of COVID-19. They were no longer allowing indoor visits, but we were happy to visit outside still masked, of course. We were also happy that we had all been vaccinated. After only a couple of days, we noticed my dad had a cough and was super tired. Sure enough, his rapid test came back positive. His PCP called and said they would be able to give him the monoclonal antibody injection if we desired. After a resounding, “yes please!” he received the treatment the next day. My dad then faced a minimum 10 day quarantine. If he wandered out of his room, the caregivers would walk him outside a bit, then bring him back. They did give him things to do and we sent a care package as well. I spoke to a nurse, caregiver, or the executive director himself daily. Evidently my dad decided to sleep if off as that’s how he spent much of his time. Meanwhile, my mom and I had our own concerns having been in direct contact with my dad. The day I found out he tested positive, I wasn’t feeling too well myself. So, my mom and I got tested. The results were negative. We still laid low and I still didn’t feel too great. I had a sore throat, headache, fatigue, and would get a slight fever in the afternoon. My mom had a bit of a cough and chills. After 5 days, I thought it best to get tested again. Those came back negative as well. We were very grateful for that. Today, after almost 2 weeks, we were able to go visit my dad outside again. He was thinner, weaker, and still had a bit of a cough. But he was in good spirits. He realized he hadn’t been feeling well, but said he was doing better. He said the people there were being very good to him. It was great to actually see him and hug him. While there, I talked to one of the staff who talked about going to church and praying about the situation. We discussed how much – or how little – control we actually have. I feel blessed that God brought us to this place.

I Found God today being able to see my dad after quarantine.

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Giant Incense Burner

Posted by eph21920 on September 28, 2021 in Connected, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Life, Opportunity, Prayer, Saint

Ever since I saw the movie, “The Way” with Martin Sheen, I have been fascinated with the Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James. There are actually several different pilgrimage trails called the Way, but they all end at the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The Cathedral is believed to hold the remains of St. James the Great. It can take months to complete the longer journeys. In order to receive the official certificate, you need to finish at least the final 100km. A friend and her husband started on their trip a few weeks ago and I have been following her posts. There were good days and challenging days, some good weather and some rain, easy walks and difficult ones. When they reached the Cathedral of St. James, they attended the Mass for the pilgrims. The cathedral has a giant incense burner that takes several men holding on to a rope to swing it back and forth over the congregation. I remember seeing that in the movie and being in awe. My friend took a video of the celebration. It was beautiful, amazing, and exciting. I felt like I was living vicariously through them and felt blessed.

I Found God today following a friend as she completed the Way of St. James.

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Lamenting Loss of Worship

Posted by eph21920 on September 27, 2021 in Answer, Connected, Eucharist, Faith, Struggles

In my Bible class tonight, we took a look through Book 3 of the Psalms. In this section, the temple of worship had been destroyed and defiled. David and others were lamenting the loss of the physical temple, the place where they would worship God. They also felt victimized – rightly so – by their enemies who were prospering. The faithful wondered how long God would allow their suffering and to what end. The instructor of the course is brilliant, in my opinion, having converted to Catholicism and spent several years in seminary. He is currently married and expecting their 6th child, so he also has an understanding of real life. At the beginning of the class tonight, he reflected on how we can relate to David’s lamentations because of the unique times we are living in. He helped us to remember that last year, churches around the entire world were shut down for Easter. He said he tried to go to the church on Good Friday, but it was closed by order of the bishop due to the pandemic. He said it was the saddest day of his spiritual life. As he told his story, his emotion and pain of not being able to worship came pouring through the computer. His faithfulness and love for the Mass was beautiful, challenging, and encouraging. God promised David that one of his descendants would bring the whole world to Him. God fulfilled that promise in Jesus, long after David was gone. The question of how long will God allow whatever we are suffering as individuals and as a people is one that has been asked for thousands of years. Scripture reminds us that God always keeps His promises, sometimes in surprising ways. So, our part is to remain faithful and trust that God is working out His perfect plan.

I Found God today in a deeper appreciation for the Mass.

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Bonus Bishop

Posted by eph21920 on September 26, 2021 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Family, Priest

A couple of months ago, our Diocese ordained a new bishop. We watched the celebration online at that time. He seemed very kind and humble. He has been making his rounds of the parishes and was scheduled to celebrate the 9:30 Mass this morning at our church. We debated about going as we wanted to see him, but didn’t really want to be in the big crowd that would be in attendance. In any case, we had a bit of a late start this morning and couldn’t make it anyways. I felt bad because I knew my mom was disappointed. We got ready and my mom wasn’t feeling great, so wasn’t sure she would go at all. But, she decided to give it a try and we made our way to the later Mass. When we arrived, I noticed the bishop was there in the back of the church. I thought perhaps he was staying around to greet the incoming parishioners. Then, the pastor made the announcement that the bishop would be celebrating the next Mass too. We were thrilled. He was very humble and soft spoken. He told a story about how he was in line at a fast food restaurant several years ago, and when he was going to pay at the window, he was told that the person in front of him paid for his meal. He asked if that person had recognized him. The employee replied, “No, Father, it’s not about you.” She proceeded to explain to him that it started 4 cars ahead of him. That first car had paid for the person behind them and so on. Now it was his turn to be the recipient. Then the girl paused as if to ask what he was going to do. The bishop looked behind him to the SUV with 4 large men inside. Their order came to $43. The bishop had $44, so he paid for their meal and gave the girl a $1 tip. He left feeling pretty good about the situation. He then connected the story to how God gives us gifts all the time without us doing a thing. He puts breath in our lungs and continues our beating heart. The question for us is, what are we going do next? Do we hoard our gifts to ourselves, or do we pass them along? I loved his way of getting the message across. After Mass, the bishop stood at the door to say goodbye to people as they left. When my mom came to him with her walker, he touched her shoulder and blessed her. At lunch, my mom talked about how happy she was that she went to church, that the bishop was there, and how special it was for her to receive that blessing.

I Found God today in a special blessing from the bishop.

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St. John’s Cave

Posted by eph21920 on September 25, 2021 in Bible, Connected, Friends, Grateful

Many years ago I worked for St John the Evangelist parish. There I met some of the most amazing, faithful, and caring people. Many of them are still friends and we continue to stay in touch. That in itself is a blessing. Today, a friend sent me a picture of the shrine to St John the Evangelist in the location where it is believed he wrote the book of Revelation. My friend was on vacation on the Island of Patmos. I was so happy that she thought of me and our St. John’s connection. And as a bonus, I now have a great visual reference as I will be studying the book of Revelation later this year.

I Found God today grateful that my friend shared a holy place with me.

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St. Therese Novena

Posted by eph21920 on September 24, 2021 in Answer, Faith, Grateful, Life, Prayer, Trust

I have been praying the St. Therese Novena that will be completed on her Feast Day – October 1. As always, God sends me prayers, meditations, readings, etc, that are exactly what I need. Today these words touched my heart:
Loving God, you loved St. Therese’s complete trust in your care. Help me to rely on your providential care in each circumstance of my life, especially the most difficult and stressful.
I am grateful for answered prayers today that help deepen my trust in God.

I Found God today relying more on God’s providential care.

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Most Powerful Weapon

Posted by eph21920 on September 23, 2021 in Answer, Faith, Life, Prayer, Saint, Struggles

Today is the feast day of St. Padre Pio. He suffered much in his life as a priest, but remained prayerful and vigilant. One of his quotes is,
“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.”
Evidently, St. Padre Pio had the rosary with him at all times and prayed it often during the day. As struggles and hardships seem to come rapidly at this point in life, this thought gives me courage and hope. My mom and I talked about how it would be a good idea to carry a rosary in a pocket during the day, so when confusion, anxiety, or worry creep in, we have a weapon to use to fight it off.

I Found God today remembering the power of the rosary.

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