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Cabrini Day

Posted by eph21920 on October 5, 2020 in Begin, Faith, Saint

Today, our state celebrated it’s first “Cabrini Day”. Our governor signed the bill replacing Columbus Day as a state paid holiday. I was amazed when I heard about it. Frances Xavier Cabrini is a Catholic saint and a woman. She was a great humanitarian and patroness of immigrants and hospital workers. There is a shrine to her in one of the cities, honoring her and the sisters’ who worked with her. Learning about the celebration of the day was a bright spot in the craziness of everything going on.

I Found God today as we celebrate a selfless saint.

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Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Posted by eph21920 on October 4, 2020 in Answer, Bible, Happiness, Homeless, Life, Peace, Priest

We tuned in to our favorite priest for Mass today. He mentioned that the day is known as “Respect Life Sunday”. In his homily, he started with the famous words from our own Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The priest outlined what is all wrapped up in that statement as there is not any single human rights issue that encompasses it all. He talked about abortion, euthanasia, health care, equal and fair salary, immigration, care for the environment, the poor and homeless . . . and I’m sure there are more. All of this is overwhelming for me to think about what I am supposed to do. But, he encouraged each person to do what they can in the situation they are in. He also encouraged each person to use their right and voice to pray and vote. I, personally, am having a hard time as there is not a candidate who emulates all of the above human rights. As if he knew, the priest ended by quoting Paul’s letter to the Phillipians, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” I appreciated his wisdom and insight.

I Found God today in additional insight during this season.

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Christian Horse

Posted by eph21920 on October 3, 2020 in Family, Humor, Laughter

When I was sitting outside this afternoon, I could hear my mom telling jokes to my dad in the house. Then they would laugh and laugh. At dinner, my mom tried to remember one that she wanted to tell to me. They both tried to remember the details, but couldn’t, so after dinner my mom got out her Reader’s Digest and read it to me. It was pretty funny, especially with all the build up to it:

A Christian man saw an advertisement for a Christian Horse, so he went to check it out. The horse’s owner said, “It’s easy to ride him. Just say ‘Praise the Lord!’ to make him go and ‘Amen!’ to make him stop.” The man got on the horse and said, “Praise the Lord!” Sure enough, the horse started to walk. “Praise the Lord!” he said again, and the horse began to trot. “Praise the Lord!” he yelled and the horse broke into a gallop. The man was enjoying his ride so much that he almost didn’t notice the cliff he and the horse were about to go over. The man shouted “AMEN!” at the top of his lungs, and the horse stopped right at the edge of the cliff. Relieved, the man said, “Phew, Praise the Lord!”

I Found God today in shared laughter.

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Less Traveled

Posted by eph21920 on October 2, 2020 in Car, Creation, Friends

I had an opportunity today to take a drive with a good friend. We headed to the mountains, hoping to find a road less traveled to take in some fall scenery. As anticipated, there were plenty of other people who had the same idea. After being on the main road for a while, we came across a dirt road and turned. We didn’t know where it went, but it was away from the traffic. The road looped and turned, climbed and descended, with houses tucked back in amongst the trees. The views were spectacular. We stopped at several spots to take in the beautiful colors of the “quaking” aspens. When the sun was at the right angle, the leaves glowed and shimmered in the breeze. Once we hit the main road again, we stopped at a pull-off. By this time the clouds and smoke had made an appearance and, while it was still a beautiful sight, the changing Fall leaves were no longer as stunning. It felt great – therapeutic – to take a beautiful drive, experience nature, and spend good time with a wonderful friend.

I Fount God today spending the day with a friend and experiencing nature.

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Confident Control

Posted by eph21920 on October 1, 2020 in Begin, Family, Happiness, Home, Life, New

My nephew and his wife made their way to his new Navy assignment last week. We were very happy when he called tonight. He has been very busy getting things in order and has started his search for a place to live. He has met with a realtor and lender in hopes of buying a townhouse. I was impressed to hear him talk about pre-qualifying, APR, closing costs, and all the details of a potential purchase. He and his wife seem to know what they want and like in a home and are excited about looking at properties. It wasn’t that long ago when he was trying to decide what path to take for his life. Now he is happily and confidently taking charge of his future.

I Found God today seeing the confidence in my nephew.

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Back on the Upswing

Posted by eph21920 on September 30, 2020 in Doctor, Family, Grateful, Sick, Struggles

My mom had a big day today. Over the past 3 weeks she has been struggling with diverticulitis and digestive issues. We have been back and forth with fluxuating fevers, diet changes, adding antibiotics, and 4 doctors appointments. The good thing is she went through it all without being hospitalized. Now things appear to be on the upswing. Today she was able to eat 3 square meals, an Ensure, a smoothie, and dessert after dinner. We even went out and got our hair cut. She went to bed super early as she is weak and tired, but I am feeling good that she is feeling good.

I Found God today grateful my mother is feeling better again after weeks of battling illness.

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God is Outside

Posted by eph21920 on September 29, 2020 in Answer, Creation, Family, Happiness, Healing, Joy, Life

I am so blessed to be living in such a gorgeous place. We can count on there being sunshine almost every day of the year. My dad in particular loves sitting on the porch and was outside much of the day today. A friend started reading the diary of Anne Frank and shared a couple quotes. I thought this captures the heart of of what my dad feels.

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”

I Found God today reflecting on Him in nature.

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Shuv

Posted by eph21920 on September 28, 2020 in Answer, Bible, Faith, Forgiveness, Intimacy, Love, Mercy

I often go to bed with a song in my head that I think about if I wake up in the middle of the night. Tonight I had my Bible class. As we continue reading the prophets, we see that they are always calling the people to turn back to God or “shuv” in Hebrew. As I was pondering this, the song “Turn To Me” popped into my head and it stuck. It’s a good message to remember, especially in the middle of the night:

“Turn to me, O turn, and be saved,
says the Lord, for I am God
there is no other, none beside me.
I call your name.”

Seems so easy, and yet for some reason it can be so hard. It is also very comforting to remember that God loves me as an individual, just as He knows and loves you. He calls me by name, always offering mercy, forgiveness, and peace.

I Found God being comforted that He calls me by name to remain close to Him.

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Priests and Chaplains

Posted by eph21920 on September 27, 2020 in Faith, Family, Grateful, Life, Priest

My parents and I had several intentions this evening for our prayer time. Then I remembered hearing that today is Priesthood Sunday, a day to especially pray for our priests. So in our prayers we included all the priests who have made such a loving and lasting impression on our lives. We also lifted up those priests who are struggling in their vocation right now. Then my dad remembered all the chaplains who ministered to them for so many years as they lived the military life. I feel we have been blessed to have known such wonderful men.

I Found God today remembering wonderful priests.

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Joyful Friend

Posted by eph21920 on September 26, 2020 in Friends, Grateful, Joy, Relationship

I was glad to hear from a far away friend today. We had not talked in quite a while. I knew she was struggling with some issues with her kids and I have kept them in prayer. Today she said many of those concerns have been rectified. She didn’t realize what a burden she had been carrying and felt as if a weight had been lifted from her. She was so grateful as she too had been praying for a resolution for a long time. I could hear the joy in her voice and in our conversation. It was so good to hear from her and even better to hear her full of joy.

I Found God today in a joyful friend.

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