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How to Wait

Posted by eph21920 on January 27, 2021 in Answer, Faith, Life, Prayer, Relationship, Trust

In studying the prophets, there are many exhortations about the demise of those not following God. At the same time, there is encouragement for the righteous. There is hope for those who walk by faith. Today I read a meditation that focused on the same topic. It quoted Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Faith is standing on the promises of God even while we can’t see Him or recognize His movement in our lives and in our world. We walk by faith and trust as we wait for God’s ultimate plan to unfold and His promises to be fulfilled. He will not let us down. For me, that means taking one day at a time, giving our lives to God, and knowing that He is in control. It is not easy and I usually have to take a step back several times a day to remember that we belong to God and He has promised He will never leave us and that He works all things for our good.

I Found God today in a reminder how to wait.

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Little Less Labor

Posted by eph21920 on January 26, 2021 in Answer, Grateful, Job, Joy, Weather

It snowed today . . . and snowed and snowed. It wasn’t a tremendous amount of snow, but it just kept coming down all day. By this afternoon, I was wondering if I should get outside and shovel, or if I should just wait for the morning. I wasn’t sure if there was enough snow for the hired workers to take care of it or not. Looking out the window at other homes in the complex, I could see that no one had shoveled yet. That clinched it. I would clear the snow first thing in the morning. About 5 minutes after having the conversation with my parents, my mom said she thought she heard the plow truck outside. I looked out and sure enough, there was the pick-up truck plowing the road in the complex. There were also a couple of guys shoveling, but I couldn’t tell for sure if they were workers or neighbors. After a few more minutes the guys came and shoveled the sidewalk, porch, and everything that the plow couldn’t reach. I was thrilled.

I Found God today in a little less labor.

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Old Books

Posted by eph21920 on January 25, 2021 in Connected, Family, Knowledge

Today we discovered some very old books that my dad purchased from the library. They were bound copies of magazines – most over 100 years old. My dad actually used some of them as references when he was writing his college textbook on space. We brought a couple of them down from their place at the top of the bookcase and my dad enjoyed perusing them. It was pretty interesting that a meditation I read this evening said, “Great books feed us. The focus our minds and inspire our hearts.” by Matthew Kelly.

I Found God today in inspiring old books.

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Surprise Treat

Posted by eph21920 on January 24, 2021 in Food, Friends, Generosity, Grateful, Joy

I received a call from one of the neighbors today. She makes amazing Irish soda bread that she shares with people, typically those going through a tough time. She brought some over last year when my dad came home after the stroke. When she called, she said she was going out and wanted to stop by and bring us a loaf. I must have sounded very surprised as she asked, “…If that’s ok?” I assured her that was most welcomed, just unexpected. The bread was delicious as anticipated and plentiful, so I was able to put some in the freezer for another day. It really is the small gestures that bring great joy.

I Found God today in a surprise treat.

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About Time

Posted by eph21920 on January 23, 2021 in Answer, Friends, Knowledge

When I went to my aqua aerobics class, we would have a “Theme of the Week”. The instructor would give us a topic and we would discuss it while exercising in the pool. Of course, we haven’t met in the gym for almost a year. But people are still able to stay in touch via email and such. Recently, the instructor decided to bring back the “Theme of the Week” and everyone shares their answers online. The topic this week was “time”. Some people shared facts and others relayed personal stories. Immediately after I read some postings, I opened a meditation. It read, “.. . . in order to really know someone, you must spend time with them . . . God is no different.” by Jane Trufant Harvey. I thought that was a quite timely.

I Found God today in His time.

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A Happy V-Day

Posted by eph21920 on January 22, 2021 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Hope, Joy, Opportunity

We have been excitedly waiting for this day for a couple of weeks. This afternoon my parents and I headed over to the local hospital for their coronavirus vaccinations. After check-in, we walked into the conference room converted into a clinic. We were greeted by a friendly nurse who took each parent right over to a station where they rolled up their sleeves and got the shot. Then we were shown to some chairs to sit and wait for 15 minutes to make sure there were no adverse reactions. As we made our way, one man who also received the vaccine gave my mom a thumbs up. The mood in the room was light and joyful as everyone was so happy to have received this long awaited life line. The friendly nurse monitored and chatted with all those waiting. When our time was up, she gave us some instructions and the information cards and we headed home. Neither of my parents had any problem with the shot. Tonight I looked at the points of injection, which were so small I had a hard time finding them. For all the anticipation of this day, it was rather anti-climactic, which I am sure is a good thing. With so many people still waiting to receive the vaccine – myself included – I am so grateful that my parents were able to and have done well with it. One dose down, one to go.

I Found God today as my parents received their first coronavirus vaccine.

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When He Was Nothing

Posted by eph21920 on January 21, 2021 in Answer, Children, Connected, Creation, Faith, Friends, Knowledge, Life, Relationship

I love getting surprise mail from friends. Today I received a letter from a friend who shared with me her experiences with the books from The Chronicles of Narnia since she read that we had recently watched the movie. She told me about a child who she read the book out loud to. After getting to know the character of Aslan the lion, he exclaimed that Aslan was like God. He then proceeded to tell my friend how sometimes he would just stare straight ahead not looking at anything, but feels what it was like to be with God in heaven before he was born; he was nothing yet; but he was with God. This was from a child who did not even attend church. I am always amazed at the insight of children. I have a couple of prayer cards that I go to every day that were written by my nephew when he was a child. It reminds me of his beautiful heart and how he was also very connected with God. I also find it intriguing that while they may be aware of God’s presence, they have a difficult time expressing who He is. That’s not really surprising as adults have the same problem. He is more than our human minds can understand and articulate. But, to me, it is just another example and proof that God does exist and is in relationship with us if only we allow Him to be.

I Found God today in a child’s perspective of God.

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Broken Garage Door

Posted by eph21920 on January 20, 2021 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Problem

The garage door has been making too much noise opening and closing, so we called the company. The serviceman came out today. He showed us how the door had actually ripped away from the bracket holding it to the motor. Then, when the serviceman manually unhooked the motor, we discovered that the spring was broken as well. He repaired the spring and we will have the whole door replaced on a couple of weeks. This door was truly a disaster waiting to happen and I am so happy that we are getting it fixed.

I Found God today taking care of a potentially dangerous situation.

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Parish Package

Posted by eph21920 on January 19, 2021 in Connected, Faith, Family, Friends

Today we received a package from our favorite parish. We enjoy participating in Mass at a church I worked for some years ago. When the pandemic shut us all in, we needed to find a place to “go to church” and settled on the encouraging homilies from the pastor and my friend. As a bonus, we see the beauty of the renovated church and I see some of the people I know and love there. One of the parishioners wrote a book about the history of the parish. I purchased a copy and received it today – along with a few other goodies. It was so thoughtful of them to send along some other books, a recent parish directory, and some photos of the details of the new renovations. We felt very much a part of the parish, even though we are a couple thousand miles away.

I Found God today being connected to the church.

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Born in a Blizzard

Posted by eph21920 on January 18, 2021 in Baby, Family, Generosity, Grateful, Weather

Today was my sister’s birthday. We called Facetime as we do every year and sang “Happy Birthday” to her. My mom recounted the story of her birth. There was a blizzard when my mom went into labor and the snow was up to her knees. They figured it would be fastest for them to drive to the hospital instead of pressing their luck waiting for an ambulance. Thankfully, they had great neighbors. Three men came with their shovels and helped my dad clear a path to get the car out. They got my mom in the vehicle and rode along to the hospital with shovels in tote, just in case. They made it to the hospital with little time to spare. My sister was born 20 minutes after they arrived. It’s a good story to hear every year and my mom loves to tell it.

I Found God today in the joy my mom receives by recounting the birth day stories.

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