I touched base with a friend today who is struggling. I have always admired her patient endurance especially in difficult circumstances. This morning I received a short meditation that was particularly fitting:
“The patient and humble endurance of the cross—whatever nature it may be—is the highest work we have to do.”
— St. Katharine Drexel
I Found God today reminded of the importance of patient endurance.
As my parents, brother, and I were deciding what to do this morning, we talked about going to the nearby park. We could watch the children play in the water area and walk around a bit. And, the ice cream man is usually there. That made the decision. When we arrived at the park, we found a table near the water, so we sat down and watched the kids. We even caught a few drops here and there. But the ice cream man was nowhere to be found. I checked for him every now and again with no luck. After a while, we were ready to get moving. My mom started heading back to the car. Just then, the ice cream man pulled in and got his cart all set up. We were all pretty happy as we chose our treats. To me, it was just another small example of God being good to us.
I Found God today as He provided a treat.
It was great to see my brother in law today. He and my sister came for a visit. He has not been feeling well for months now. It took way too long for a doctor to diagnose him with diverticulitis. He lost a dramatic amount of weight during the ordeal as he had a hard time finding anything to eat that wouldn’t cause him pain. He struggled with energy as he continued to work and do what he could at the farm. But he is on the mend now and looked pretty good. I was grateful to see him and know that he is feeling so much better.
I Found God today as my brother in law is feeling better.
Today my brother, sister, and I took my parents to the zoo. We knew it would be a challenge with two wheelchairs and lots of hills, so we were pretty happy when we saw the tram parked just inside the entrance gate. Our driver, Juan, was very helpful and entertaining. Our first stop was the new penguin enclosure. We followed the line of people around the large aquarium as we viewed the penguins standing up on the rocks. Suddenly, one decided to get into the water. It didn’t take long before the rest followed. We were right next to them as they dove down to get fish from the bottom of the tank. We thought it was very nice of them to come to us. A little later we had lunch on a bench near the gorilla enclosure. As we were eating, one of the large gorillas brought his huge handful of lettuce and sat on the other side of the glass. We thought it was very nice of him to join us for lunch. When we were finished in that area, we called for the tram to come pick us up. As we were waiting, we noticed some commotion coming our direction. Then we saw the warthog. It had two harnesses on it and was accompanied by four zookeepers. They brought it past us and we noticed what an enormous head it had along with a large body. However, it’s legs were thin and it had tiny hooved feet that looked like high heels. My sister said it was very dainty as it walked. We thought it was very nice for him to come by us for a visit. The zoo was quite an outing for us all, but it was a very good day.
I Found God today enjoying the zoo with family.
My sister has been cleaning out her storage closet and brought over some records that she had packed up. I remembered listening to many of them in the home when I was a child. Tonight we put on Spike Jones. The comedian was poking fun at the “new High Fidelity” technology. It was nostalgic and funny and we all laughed.
I Found God today in laughter.
It was finally a beautiful warm sunny day. So I packed up lunch and we went to the park. This particular park had an area of fountains and water sprays for the kids to splash around and run through. After we ate our lunch, we took a little stroll through the playground and got in the middle of the activity. My dad especially enjoyed watching the teepee shaped merry go round as the kids climbed up and down as they spun round and round. When we reached the water park, I warned my mom she may want to move to the other side of the walkway as a child was having fun with a giant squirter. She said she didn’t mind getting wet. She almost did, but was just out of reach. We had a nice picnic lunch, a nice walk, and really enjoyed watching the uninhibited play of the kids.
I Found God today in the uninhibited play of children.
My mom, dad, and I played the game Sorry tonight, even thought my dad was hesitant. After a long game of back and forth, my mom actually won again as usual. My dad was ready to tape up the box so it could never be opened again. That reminded me of another game we got a couple of years back called Shut the Box. It is a solitaire type of dice game that is very difficult to win. After only a few turns, my dad won. He felt quite justified. As for me, I got both parents ready for bed a little early as we were all pretty tired. We all won.
I Found God today as we each won in our own way.
My mom was happy to get back to her online exercise class after they took a 2 week break. After the hour class, the participants chatted about what was the best thing that happened during their hiatus. One man said that he participated in TAPS Across America. Some family and friends came over on Memorial Day and he played TAPS on his trumpet to honor those who lost their lives defending this country. He said he does it every year and that it was a very moving experience. I could see it made him emotional. Even though he suffers from Parkinson’s and has limitations, this man is doing what he can to stay involved and make a difference in the world. He is very inspiring.
I Found God today in an inspiring man.
Last night a young woman I know sent me some photos of her baby getting Baptized. Of course they were adorable. Later I realized it was Holy Trinity Sunday. In the Gospel reading, Jesus told His disciples
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
One of the other Scripture readings talks about how we have received the Spirit of adoption and are children of God. I don’t know if the young woman chose this day specifically, or if it just happened to work out. Either way, it is clear in Scripture that through Baptism, we belong to God and that He is taking care of us. I know her family will be blessed. It was a beautiful reminder for me as well.
I Found God today being reminded that through Baptism, I and my family are children of God.
Today we had a wonderful visit with my nephew and his wife. It is the first time we have seen them together since they were married exactly 1 year ago. As we talked about the past year of pandemic, they noticed what a unique time it was. The first celebration of their marriage was with only with them and their parents. After that, they spent more time together than apart. Theirs was a unique situation from a pre-COVID world, but they probably share the experience with thousands of other couples. It was beautiful to witness how their love and relationship has grown as they talked about their future together. It was obvious not only in their conversation, but also in their glances and nuances. We loved having them over.
I Found God today in a visit with my nephew and his wife.
Still Finding God 