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Promised Peace

Posted by eph21920 on June 27, 2021 in Creation, Family, Grateful, Happiness, Joy, Peace

After our blessed time at church yesterday, we all slept peacefully and even slept in late. I can’t remember the last time that has happened. After breakfast, we decided to get outside before the forecasted rain storms arrived. My sister, parents, and I went to a local park that my parents hadn’t been to for years. It had a nice paved trail that we walked on for a while, then turned around to go back. There were several people also utilizing the trail. Most were walking or biking. Some had dogs, others were pushing strollers. One man had a seat in the front of his bicycle for his child who was probably around 2 years old. While we were sitting on a bench, he stopped near us to get a plastic bag. He had found a caterpillar and had put it on a leaf. He put it all into the bag. I assumed he would be showing his child that beauty of nature, hoping the caterpillar would turn into a butterfly. Everyone we met was super nice and cheerful. Everyone said hello with a smile on their face. It was wonderful to see everyone’s smile unveiled from behind the facemask. We had a peaceful night and a peaceful day – the peace that God promises when we go to Him.

I Found God today in His promised peace.

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Back to Church Too

Posted by eph21920 on June 26, 2021 in Answer, Eucharist, Faith, Family, Grateful

For a while now, my parents and I have been talking about getting them back to church. They haven’t attended in person for about a year and a half now. We have been waiting for them to feel comfortable in doing so. It has really been on my dad’s heart recently, and this afternoon was the perfect time. We even arrived at the church early enough to go to Confession. Being all together, worshipping God, receiving the Eucharist used to be a normal weekly occurrence that just happened and I now feel it was taken for granted. It was more than wonderful to be there again after all this time. I could hear the boisterous responses and singing coming from my parents. My sister came too and commented on how good it felt to be back in church. On the way home, my mother said how good it was especially to hear the music in person. After all of going to Confession, participating in Mass, and receiving Holy Communion, all felt right in our world. I am grateful.

I Found God today as my parents made it back to church.

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Anselm Adams Exhibit

Posted by eph21920 on June 25, 2021 in Connected, Creation, Family, Joy

Today my brother and I took my parents to the local fine arts center. They had a special exhibit of Anselm Adams photographs. He is one of my dad’s favorites. Being a photographer himself, my dad had a great appreciation for the way Anselm Adams was able to capture the contrasts, lights and darks, while keeping the entire frame in perfect focus. We all enjoyed the exhibit and the outing.

I Found God today appreciating beautiful photography.

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New Childhood Story

Posted by eph21920 on June 24, 2021 in Children, Family, Happiness, Life, Music

As many stories as my mom tells about her life, I am still surprised when I hear a new one. Today during the social time after her exercise class, the leader asked what the participants did with their siblings. My mom said they would go to the park on Sundays and that was a really special time for her. Later, she told me that not only her whole family, but much of the town would gather at the park on Sunday afternoons. The park had a bandstand and local musicians would perform. My mom herself even danced and played the accordion to add to the afternoon entertainment. Her face lit up as she told the story. I could see how happy it made her and that it truly was a special time for her.

I Found God today listening to my mom’s story of her youth.

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Dad’s Spa Day

Posted by eph21920 on June 23, 2021 in Family, Happiness, Joy, Relationship

My dad has been wanting to get a haircut for quite a while now. We had intended on getting it done a couple of times, but it didn’t work out. However, today was the day. My dad was ready to go and my brother was ready to take him. My dad received the VIP treatment with the hot towel massage and everything. Afterwards, he and my brother sat down for a cup of coffee together. My dad arrived home clean shaven, well groomed, relaxed, and happy. I enjoyed how he enjoyed his spa day.

I Found God today seeing my dad enjoy his spa day.

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Appreciating My Brother

Posted by eph21920 on June 22, 2021 in Family, Generosity, Life, Relationship

I am grateful my brother is here for a couple of days. It didn’t take long for us to get back into the routine we established over a year ago when he stayed for a while after my dad’s stroke. We have a good working system where I do most of the cooking and he does the dishes. It’s a winning situation all around. Plus, since the new coffee maker just died, he knows how to make coffee using the French press and the pour over devices. Not only that, we are all enjoying his company. I am very much appreciating him.

I Found God today appreciating my brother.

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Vacation at the Farm

Posted by eph21920 on June 21, 2021 in Creation, Dog, Family, Love

My brother came today to stay a few days. Instead of boarding his dog, he brought her over to vacation at my sister’s farm. They texted back and forth during the evening to get the routine down and to just touch base. My brother was sad that there wasn’t a doggie cam so he could see her, but the texting updates were sufficient for now. He was still a little worried about her and I assured him that’s what comes from being a doggie daddy. I just thought his concern for her was very sweet.

I Found God today in my loving brother.

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Puzzles and More

Posted by eph21920 on June 20, 2021 in Family, Fun, Grateful

I’m grateful we had another year of father’s day celebrating with my dad. Yesterday my sister and her husband came over for a bit. While they were here, my dad received a package from my brother. Once we connected on FaceTime, my dad opened his gift. It was a puzzle of the planets and a box of puzzle cubes called Shashibo. The cubes were held together by magnets and come apart at some intersections. Then they could be folded. It’s hard to explain but they are fascinating and have kept us all busy trying to figure them out. This morning we started out with a delicious brunch that my other sister and I prepared. My son came over bearing gifts of Starbucks just on time as the Keurig stopped working. I went to church and brought back Holy Communion. During family Zoom, my dad opened a sweet card that was mailed by my nephew and his wife. Yesterday, he wanted ribs and corn on the cob for dinner, so that’s what we made. Later we went out and had fun at a self serve frozen yogurt place. And finally, we watched an episode of the original Star Trek – a favorite of my dad’s. There was a lot of activity packed into two days as we all tried to celebrate my dad best we could.

I Found God today celebrating my dad on Father’s Day.

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Funny Dog Sitter

Posted by eph21920 on June 19, 2021 in Dog, Friends, Laughter

This evening as we headed out for a walk, we were met by a little barking ball of white fluff. The neighbor was walking her daughter’s dog who she was sitting for. She had a retractable leash on the dog, but didn’t know how to use it and the leash was locked with a very long lead. It was pretty funny to see as she laughingly tried to reign him in with the leash in one hand and a drink in the other. I taught her how to use the leash and she got it shortened just in time for another dog to come around the corner. The little dog started barking again and darted between my neighbor’s legs. Once she got untangled, she set off again trying to navigate the leash. She went the long way around the neighborhood and we went the short way. We met again as we neared the house. The dog was running and my neighbor was trying to keep up. But, this time, she picked the dog up and brought him over to say hello. She finally had control. The little dog was very friendly and we enjoyed giving him some petting. The whole scenario was hysterical.

I Found God today in laughter.

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Encouraging Nephew

Posted by eph21920 on June 18, 2021 in Connected, Faith, Family, Grateful, Life, Love, Relationship

Today I received an unexpected phone call from my nephew. He started by thanking us for his birthday wishes. From there, we talked about how relaxing vacation time was. He and his wife visited a little while ago and discovered they had an additional day, so they decided to spend it just enjoying the time alone together. We agreed that time away gives you a fresh outlook and perspective. He asked if I had been able to get back to church and we reminisced about the times spent doing VBS. He wondered if I would become more involved in the parish as he knew it meant so much to me. I remembered encouraging my nephew as he grew up and I was deeply touched that he was now encouraging me.

I Found God today in my encouraging nephew.

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