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Suffering is not Inconsequential

Posted by eph21920 on March 28, 2021 in Bible, Eternity, Faith, Hope, Humility, Jesus, Lent, Life, Love, Sacrifice

I started this Palm Sunday with a visit from my son. He went to church and brought some palms for me and my parents. That really helped us to feel part of the Mass as we participated online. As every Palm Sunday, we read the Passion of Jesus. It is always bewildering for me to remember that Jesus’ humble and seemingly weak actions (according to earthly norms) had an incredible and everlasting impact on the world and on our individual souls. Later in the day I read a beautiful, meaningful reflection:

“[Saint] Paul understood that the suffering he was going through somehow allowed him to share in Christ’s suffering for the world…In his own life, there was a time when he asked the Lord three times to remove a particular suffering from him (see 2 Corinthians 12:8). The response he received from the Lord was not “Oh, my oversight. That’s right, I took care of all that suffering. You don’t have to do anything.” No, God’s response was, “[Paul], my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9)…It is completely opposite of the way the world thinks…What looked like the worst thing that ever happened on earth—Christ hanging on a cross, bleeding to death—became the source of salvation for the entire world. The point of weakness became the point of strength; it was transformed into the power over death and Hell. We have to get it through our heads that the kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom according to the world’s perspective. Weakness confounds the wise. The poor and obscure confound the rich and famous…Whatever you are going through right now, remember that God has a plan for you. He wants to be united to you so closely that it resembles a spousal relationship…your suffering is not inconsequential; it is extremely valuable in the economy of God.”
—Jeff Cavins, When You Suffer

I Found God today reflecting on the power of weakness.

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Caring Dad

Posted by eph21920 on March 27, 2021 in Love, Relationship, Shopping, Stranger

My sister came over today so I took the opportunity to make a Target run and stock up. Every time I go into a store I look through the bras to see if there is one that will work for my mom. It’s hard for her especially since the straps go right over her pacemaker. As I was perusing, I noticed a young woman and a man looking through them as well. I didn’t think much of it until I heard their conversation. It was a little awkward as the man seemed to not know exactly what size or kind was needed. Then the girl said, “This is the hardest part about being a girl.” The man responded quietly, “This is the hardest part about being a dad.” She confirmed the relationship by calling him “dad” a couple moments later. I thought that was such a sweet thing for the dad to be doing for and with his daughter. When I left the store, before I pulled away, I realized they were parked right in front of me. The dad opened the car door for his daughter and closed it after her. Then he went around to the drivers side on got in. This dad seemed to be doing a great job of teaching his daughter that she should be treated with kindness and respect, particularly by other men.

I Found God today in a caring dad teaching his daughter how to be valued.

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Season Transition

Posted by eph21920 on March 26, 2021 in Creation, Family, Happiness, Life, Weather

My dad has a beautiful vantage point of the yard from his spot at the dining room table. During meal times, he reports the happenings from his view. He has been watching the few patches of snow left over from the recent storm, but they are dwindling. Today, we even had a few minutes of wet snow fall, covering the ground and making it completely white again. However, when the sun came back out it didn’t take long for the snow to melt completely into the ground. There are even some hints of green grass. My dad said he found God today in this transition from snow, to melting deep into the ground preparing the grass to reappear.

I Found God today in seeing the transition of winter to spring through my dad’s eyes.

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Outpouring of Encouragement

Posted by eph21920 on March 25, 2021 in Answer, Connected, Friends, Hope, Life, Struggles

A friend whose husband has Parkinson’s had come to the difficult realization that it was time for him to be placed in a memory care facility. He kept trying to walk on his own, which he is unable to do, and was falling on a regular basis. While it was an incredibly painful decision, she knew it was necessary for him to be in a safe environment. Today she texted a large group of people who were in the Parkinson’s exercise class with him. The outpouring of support was beautiful and the group encouraged not only her, but one another as well. The transition will be difficult, but my heart was moved by the kind and hopeful words of people we haven’t seen in over a year.

I Found God today in encouraging people.

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Hope For the Future

Posted by eph21920 on March 24, 2021 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Hope, Life

I felt much better when I got up this morning. I got groceries, did some laundry, cooked, and even started making some Easter candy. Later in the day, I heard from other family members who were able to get scheduled for their COVID-19 vaccine. I feel like there is light at the end of this dark, year long tunnel. It fills me with hope for the future, just as God promised.

I Found God today with a renewed hope for the future.

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Vaccine Fatigue

Posted by eph21920 on March 23, 2021 in Family, Grateful, Sick

Not too long after receiving my COVID-19 vaccine yesterday, my stomach starting feeling unsettled. It does that often, so I wasn’t sure if it was because of the shot, or the stress of the event, or something I ate. My shoulder started feeling pretty sore as well, so I moved it around a lot as recommended. However, about 3 am I woke up with a very sore arm, so I got up and took a tylenol. My stomach didn’t feel too good and I had a little bit of a headache. I didn’t get much sleep after that. I was very glad that my sister had stayed the night just in case I wasn’t feeling well. She took care of things so I didn’t have to. I was super tired, so I took a couple naps. I was grateful that I was feeling better by night, but most grateful that my sister stayed to help.

I Found God today in my sister’s help.

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Wanna Build a Snowman

Posted by eph21920 on March 22, 2021 in Creation, Family, Fun, Grateful

I was scheduled for my first COVID-19 vaccine this morning, so I was a little concerned when the forecast called for another snowstorm. My sister came over last night before the roads became snow-covered so she could stay with my parents while I would be gone. There was not much snow when we went to bed. However, there was about 6 inches of the wet, white stuff when we got up. My sister started singing, “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” from the movie Frozen. Needless to say, it stuck. My sister recounted a video she saw at a nursing home who had brought in snow from the outside so the residents could build with it. We asked my parents if they wanted to build a snowman, but they declined. I called the vaccination clinic and was happy that I was able to postpone my appointment by a couple of hours. After breakfast I went out to see what needed to be shoveled. I was thrilled to discover that the vast majority of it had already been done by the company the housing complex hired. Since I was already bundled up, I figured it would be fun to play in the snow. I poked my head in the house and asked if anyone wanted to come build a snowman. Again, my parents declined, but my sister came out. We each put together a little snowman on the railing of the porch and invited my parents out to take a look. Luckily, we snapped a few photos because once the sun came out, the poor fellows became a pile of mush. After lunch I drove on clear roads to receive my first vaccine. I felt very blessed to have the opportunity.

I Found God today playing outside and receiving my vaccine.

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Virtual Ice Cream

Posted by eph21920 on March 21, 2021 in Children, Connected, Family, Food, Happiness, Past

During our family Zoom time, we usually discuss the weather since everyone is scattered around the country. Today we were experiencing rain/snow here, my travelling brother just left his campsite in Death Valley where the temperatures were in the high 80’s, and my son on the East coast was in the 70’s, which is unusual. But, it worked well as their favorite local ice cream stand opened yesterday marking the first day of Spring. They planned on getting ice cream after the call. My granddaughter was celebrating by building an ice cream shop on a computer game. I asked what flavors of ice cream she would have. She said vanilla, chocolate, mint, and strawberry. I loved that she threw mint in there with the traditional flavors. I asked if I could come to her shop and get some ice cream. She said it’s on the computer, but I could use my imagination. So, I did remember going to the ice cream stand with them when I would visit and it made me smile.

I Found God today visiting family and in fond memories.

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Animal Fair

Posted by eph21920 on March 20, 2021 in Connected, Creation, Family, Fun, Humor, Life

My dad often has a song running through his head first thing in the morning and sings it for us. Today it was the Animal Fair:
“I went to the animal fair,
The birds and the beasts were there.
The big baboon by the light of the moon was combing his auburn hair.
The monkey, he got drunk,
And sat on the elephant’s trunk.
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees, and that was the end of the monk.
Poor monk!”
After breakfast we went to my sister’s farm which is a little over an hour away. We got to see and pet her 2 week old chicks while she held them. They were super cute. We saw horses, cows, and deer along the way. It was a long day for my parents, but a great day. Perhaps it wasn’t an entire animal fair, but the birds and the beasts were there.

I Found God today in a funny song that set the tone for the day.

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In the Midst of Joy

Posted by eph21920 on March 19, 2021 in Children, Happiness, Joy, Laughter

A friend asked if I wanted to walk with her on this beautiful day. She was very flexible and was ready when it was a good time for me to get out for a bit. We walked down to a local park that was filled with kids – about middle school aged. We found out they were from the charter school across the street. There was still some snow leftover in the big fields, so many of them were having fun throwing snowballs. Some of them were playing in the ball field. Some were playing bean bag toss. And others were drawing with chalk. All of them had a smile on their face. It was so joyful and put a smile on my face to be in the midst of lots of kids laughing and having tons of fun.

I Found God today being in the midst of joy.

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