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Out on an Adventure

Posted by eph21920 on December 5, 2020 in Family, Grateful, Happiness, Life, New, Shopping, Travel

My parents and I have been doing some Christmas shopping – online. However, there is one place we decided to visit instead of going through the shipping process. It was in a small town not too far from us. I spoke to the owner regarding the COVID requirements and store hours. He said that they were pretty out of the way, so filling to capacity wasn’t even an issue. I set up the GPS and we headed out. On the way there, we zig-zagged through lots of open space and farm land on a route none of us had ever taken before. We even ended up on a dirt road for a bit, which was unexpected. It was good I had the GPS on, or we would have driven right by it. Once we arrived, we were greeted by the owner and found what we were looking for. The shop was a far cry from the busy big corporation stores in the city that people are crowding into. We ordered lunch from the adjoining cafe and sat outside to eat. The weather was perfect – not too hot, not too cold, and no wind. The GPS led us back home via a different route that was well traveled. The road became familiar after a while. It was certainly good to get out, visit a new place, and enjoy the beautiful day. I’m glad my parents were up for the adventure.

I Found God today out on an adventure.

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Surprise Singer

Posted by eph21920 on December 4, 2020 in Family, Music

We decided to put on a Christmas CD this afternoon so my mom went through the stack that has been waiting to be played since last year. She chose a recording of her high school choir. Now – this wasn’t any ordinary choir. The director and singers were all but professional and won competitions on many levels. The CD was made a couple of years after my mom attended the high school. She followed along with the list of titles, waiting to hear something she might recognize. As a new song started, my mom suddenly exclaimed, “That’s my brother!” Sure enough, it was her younger brother singing a duet. It was quite a surprise to my mother as she didn’t realize he was on the CD. We marveled at the sound of his pure, smooth voice. After the CD had finished, my mom got out one of her scrapbooks to find his picture and she and my dad reminisced. It was another beautiful moment.

I Found God today in a happy surprise.

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Continuing On

Posted by eph21920 on December 3, 2020 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Life

I asked my mom how she found God today. She reminded me that she didn’t sleep very well last night, so she was already tired before we even had breakfast. Her online exercise class met this morning, but instead of going back to bed, my mom decided it would be better for her to get moving. Once again, her perseverance amazes me. After participating in the session, she promptly laid down for a nice long nap. It did seem to help. My mom was happy that she was able to continue on with her day instead of dragging and being tired.

I Found God today in my persevering mother.

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Belly Laughing

Posted by eph21920 on December 2, 2020 in Family, Laughter

Today my mom was talking about books and writers. She mentioned one particular author who has passed away. Then she said, “I don’t know if he wrote anything after that.” It took a second, then we all laughed so long and hard that it hurt our stomach. It felt great.

I Found God today in a good belly laugh.

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New Homeowner

Posted by eph21920 on December 1, 2020 in Family, Grateful, Happiness, Home

My son has been thinking about buying a house for about a year and has been stashing money away. He got serious about it this summer and was determined to get out of apartment living. When he started looking at houses, those he liked were getting purchased within days, or even hours. It is a crazy market. However, a couple of weeks ago, another house came back on the market after a purchase didn’t go through. It was just what he was looking for. Everything fell right into place. He closed on the house today and is now a proud homeowner. I was excited to meet him there as he crossed the threshold. He has big plans for the place and already started shopping for the things he wants and needs. I am so happy that it is all working out for him.

I Found God today sharing in my son’s joy.

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Online Class Struggles

Posted by eph21920 on November 30, 2020 in Bible, Connected, Faith, Knowledge, Problem, Struggles

Tonight when I connected online with my Bible class teacher, I noticed that the color was off from previous classes. Everything had a yellowish, greenish tint to it. She asked if everyone could see her and hear her. She explained that her computer crashed and she was working with a loaner. When she saw more students arriving at the session, she was unable to let them in until she got out herself and let them enter. Then it took a while for her to re-enter. When she was ready to start teaching, she was unable to mute everyone. There were glitches throughout the first hour of the two-hour class. She apologized and expressed her frustration, but she kept on teaching with vim and vigor. Her faith and love for God and His Word is always evident and tonight was no exception. Even though she struggled with unexpected set-backs, she pushed through them and was still able to deliver God’s message of comfort and love.

I Found God today in my teacher’s real faith and perseverance.

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Most Real

Posted by eph21920 on November 29, 2020 in Answer, Connected, Creation, Eternity, Faith, Life, Priest

My parents and I listened to a very powerful and relevant homily today. The priest talked about how easily we are distracted by things that are “less real” substituting for things that are “most real”. He used our computers for example – specifically our phones. Sometimes when we are visiting with other people in real life, we are drawn to look at our phones to check email, social media, or whatever. We have less real relationships with others on our phones than with the people who are right in front of us, yet we are pulled to it. So it is with God. The things of this world – our jobs, chores, hobbies, worries, desires, even the people in our lives – are less real than God who was, is, and will be forever. He is our Creator. Yet, we can spend an entire day being so preoccupied with our daily life that we don’t even think about God. Worse yet, some may spend their entire lives looking to every avenue for fulfillment without ever acknowledging Him. The priest challenged everyone to begin to pray daily, even if only for 5 minutes. If you are already praying, try extending that time. It is the most important thing to do to tap into the reality of who God is, who we will all meet at the end of our short lives.

I Found God today realizing God is the “most real”.

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Preparing the Way

Posted by eph21920 on November 28, 2020 in Faith, Family, Forgiveness, Home

Once again this year we were blessed with a beautiful day of sunshine and mild temperatures to begin decorating for Christmas. My dad and I put the lights on the bushes and bows on the lights and railing. I did some more work on the wreaths. And it seemed fitting to turn on some Christmas music. We had been looking for an opportunity to go to Confession and today also was a good opportunity to do so. We actually got to the church half an hour early – the website had an incorrect time – but that worked out fine. There were other people there in line already, but only a few. It felt good to actually be in the church. We have been celebrating Mass via the internet for months now and have gotten into a good prayerful habit. But there is a bigger sense of holiness in the church that can’t be replicated. I feel ready for the first week of Advent. The outside of the house is near completion and on the inside my soul has been washed clean.

I Found God today preparing for Advent.

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Computer Guys

Posted by eph21920 on November 27, 2020 in Angel, Family, Generosity, Grateful, Knowledge, Problem

Last week some time, my dad started having trouble getting into his email inbox on his big computer which is named the “Big Mac”. I don’t use Apple products and was of no help at all, though I tried to troubleshoot with the little knowledge I have. Both brothers are out of state, but one did try to help over Facetime with no success. I can easily get overwhelmed feeling that I have to try to solve all problems here on my own – especially with the pandemic and trying to keep contact with others down to a minimum. Today, my other brother called who has been pondering the email situation. He figured out a way to take control of my dad’s computer from afar and worked through the troubles. After about an hour and a half of tedious work, he got the issue corrected. I learned more about the computer and how to potentially fix it if the same problem happens again. My dad and I were so grateful for the time and the help that my brother provided.

I Found God today in my brother’s generosity.

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Our Different Thanksgiving

Posted by eph21920 on November 26, 2020 in Faith, Family, Food, Grace, Grateful, Prayer

We had been thinking, praying, talking, and deciding how to spend Thanksgiving safely this year with the desire to see family – just like every other family in the country. Both my sisters and brother-in-law work from home and have very little contact with other people, so we decided that we could get together pretty safely by doing things a little differently. One sister cooked the turkey completely, waited for it to cool, cut it up, and packed it up. Each of us had our dishes completely ready to serve or in individual containers when they arrived at the house. My sisters and brother-in-law stayed in the kitchen while my parents had the rest of the house. We all wore our masks, except when we ate. The day was a lovely dance as we all gave each other plenty of space. We weren’t all gathered around the same table, but enjoyed the food and the company just the same. After dinner, we got on Zoom with the whole family for a while. Later, instead of having friends over to make Christmas wreaths, my sisters and I worked out in the garage to put some together. The day was summed up as my dad added an impromptu prayer after grace and thanked God for our family. Thanksgiving was different, but still a tremendous blessing.

I Found God today blessed with family.

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