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Comforting Mass Prayers

Posted by eph21920 on November 25, 2020 in Connected, Death, Faith, Friends, Prayer

A couple of weeks ago, a friend’s husband passed away. He participated in the Parkinson’s exercise class that my mom went to before the pandemic. She remembers him as always having a good attitude and bringing laughter to the class. Once he started having physical problems, they seemed to just increase one after the other, each with more pain and no relief. When I think about him now, I see him smiling, relaxed, and at peace. I set up a Mass to be said for his soul and sent the card to my friend. We received a beautiful thank you card from her that was made of 2 photographs that her husband had taken. One was dozens of rosaries hanging down and was titled, “After the Pilgrimage”. In the card, my friend thanked us and said she was comforted that Masses will be prayed for him in different parts of the country. My mom and I were deeply moved.

I Found God today in comfort received through Mass prayers.

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The Coffee Tree

Posted by eph21920 on November 24, 2020 in Creation, Family, Grief, Love

When my sister was a child, she seemed pretty interested in plants. So, my mom bought her a plant cart and accessories for her birthday one year. Little did she realize that she would one day have her own large garden that she cultivates and sells the produce. My sister also worked for Starbucks for many years. During that time, she got a small coffee tree. She has been protecting it and nurturing it as it grew to the ceiling. When she moved from state to state, she made special accommodations to make sure the tree would make the trip. Recently, my sister realized the time for the tree was limited. She has been collecting the seeds the tree has provided and sprouted over a dozen babies, and has additional seeds to plant at any time. Today, she sadly informed me that the tree was gone. This is what she said, “I ceremoniously took it to the compost pile, said I would take good care of it’s children and that it would reincarnate into another lovely plant.” After 12 years of tending to the tree, she said it felt like a friend. My mom and I cried with her. My sister truly has a beautiful love for God’s creation.

I Found God today in my sister’s love for creation.

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Thankful for Setbacks

Posted by eph21920 on November 23, 2020 in Family, Grateful, Life, Struggles

Today a family member sent a poem that speaks to most of us right now. Thanksgiving may look quite different for many, but being grateful for our perceived “setbacks” is just as important as being grateful for the good times. They are both blessings.

Be Thankful
-Poet Unknown
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive, find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.”
W.J. Cameron-

I Found God today in a poem about being grateful for setbacks.

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Smell the Incense

Posted by eph21920 on November 22, 2020 in Connected, Faith, Happiness, Priest

This morning my parents and I headed downstairs for church. I got Mass started on the big screen and lit the candle on our homemade altar. The processional hymn was being sung as I blew out the match and put it in a container. When I looked at the TV, I saw the smoke billowing as the priest incensed the altar. Just at that moment, I was sure I could smell the incense. It was probably the smell of my own candle and the match, and the power of suggestion. But it was a beautiful experience and reminder of why we do what we do at church.

I Found God today smelling the incense.

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Generous Friend, Grateful Stranger

Posted by eph21920 on November 21, 2020 in Friends, Generosity, Grateful, Stranger

I was so happy to visit with a friend today. She told me a story of a man who showed up on her doorstep one afternoon. He looked haggard and worn. He said he had noticed all the leaves in her front yard and offered to clean them up. The man said that his hours had been cut at work and he was struggling to make ends meet. His car was in the shop and he didn’t quite have enough money to pick it up, so he was going through the neighborhood looking for work to earn what he needed. My friend and I have talked before about giving to people who are begging on street corners and such. She prays that God will let her know who she should share her money with. In the end, we are only responsible to do what God is asking us to do, and the recipient is responsible for what they do with it. My friend’s heart stirred as she listened to the man and she agreed to pay him for his work. When he had finished raking and bagging all the leaves, they chatted a bit. The man showed my friend photos of his kids and told her where he lived. He said he had been going door to door for 3 hours praying that someone would help him. He was so grateful to my friend as he left with a God Bless You. The interaction was a beautiful reminder of our responsibility to help people in need.

I Found God today in my generous friend and a grateful stranger.

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Not Comfortable Here

Posted by eph21920 on November 20, 2020 in Answer, Bible, Faith, Home, Hope, Life

In skimming my emails today, a paragraph from an advertised blog caught my eye:

The world is not a very comfortable place right now. Now, it could certainly be worse (although I don’t usually find that reminder too terribly comforting); but it has also definitely been better. To say that the difficulties, tragedies, injustices, and uncertainties of this year have been utterly overwhelming would probably be a gross understatement for most of us. But if we are uncomfortable in the world, that is okay. More than okay—we’re not actually supposed to be too comfortable here.

The rest of the blog talks about how this life on this earth is not all there is. It truly is a means to an end – hopefully and prayerfully a life with God. It was encouraging and thought provoking. I highly recommend this short read from St. John Vianney theological seminary.

I Found God today in a reminder that it’s OK not to be comfortable here.

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Trotting Turkeys

Posted by eph21920 on November 19, 2020 in Creation, Happiness, Joy

It was cold at the cabin this morning. Even though the sun was shining brightly, there was a cold breeze blowing. Usually I am out the door early for a walk around the area, but it was too cold for me. After a while however, I got a strong desire to at least step outside and see what was happening. As soon as I shut the door, I heard the familiar sounds of the wild turkeys. I looked up to the road and spotted them. They were trotting past the house in single file. I watched about 20 of them go by before I headed up to the road to see the whole flock together. It felt like God’s little gift to me.

I Found God today going outside at the perfect time to see the flock of turkeys.

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Friendly Chickadee

Posted by eph21920 on November 18, 2020 in Creation, Joy

It was another mild day at the cabin today, so I spent much of the day outside. For the past couple of years I have trimmed some evergreen branches to make Christmas wreaths. This year there was no snow, so I hiked around and found a greater variety. It was very serene and quiet except for an occasional breeze blowing the trees. At one point, a chickadee flew in one of the trees that I was trimming and greeted me with the familiar “chik-a-dee-dee-dee”! I said hello and the little bird made his way closer, branch by branch calling his tune. I wondered if he was asking what I was doing to his tree, or perhaps asking where the bird food was. In any case, it was a welcomed encounter as we exchanged close greetings for a few seconds and it made me smile.

I Found God today in a friendly chickadee.

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So Many Stars

Posted by eph21920 on November 17, 2020 in Creation

Since the weather is mild, we decided to head to the cabin today. In the evening the sliver of a moon was up early and low in the sky. I watched it as it slowly descended behind the ridge. Then it was dark – really dark. My dad discovered that the Leonid meteor shower was at it’s peak last night. We got out the star map and found the constellation Leo. Then I got my coat on and we went out on the deck to see what we could see. The sky was so clear, it didn’t take long for the stars to seemingly multiply as our vision adjusted to the dark. My dad saw a few bright streaks in the area where the meteor shower would be. But I couldn’t manage to stay focused on one area. There were so many stars – it had been a very long time since I had seen so many. The thought of all those suns and planets and galaxies out there in the vast space is mind boggling. I thought about the infinite God the Creator who is all, knows all, and created all. I was in awe.

I Found God today in awe of the vast space and infinite God.

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Personal Prayer of Thanks

Posted by eph21920 on November 16, 2020 in Answer, Bible, Faith, Healing, Prayer

As I have been continuing to study the book of Isaiah in my bible class, I read about Hezekiah who was a king of Judah. He was stricken with a life threatening disease. However, he had faith, prayed and trusted God. Because of this, God healed him and gave him an additional 15 years of his life. One of my homework questions today was to write a prayer of thanksgiving for a time in my life when God sustained me through a difficult situation. I thought immediately about how God cured my suffering of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. While I have thanked God over and over again, it was a beautiful exercise to actually write that in a prayer.

Praise God for all His blessings.
Praise God for His peace, care, and mercy.
They said I would be crippled. They said I wouldn’t be able to function.
God said, “You will not end up like that.”
I held steadfast to His grace and voice.
His Word is mightier than all knowledge in this world.
I continue on because of Him.
Praise God for all He is. Help me never to forget.

I Found God today writing a prayer of thanksgiving to Him.

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