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Animals At Dusk

Posted by eph21920 on August 13, 2025 in Creation, Fun, Grateful, Happiness

A few weeks ago, I decided to purchase a membership to our zoo. I love going there and the cost of the membership would pay for itself in only a few visits. This evening the zoo was open after hours for members, so I decided to go. It was a very popular event, but even so, there were not as many people as on a regular day. I decided to go all the way to the end first and make my way back. It was a good decision as it was very quiet and I was rewarded with seeing the wolf pretty close up. Many of the animals were more active than I have seen in a while. One of the elephants was swimming. Actually playing in the water. It would roll around and get some water in it’s trunk and spray it everywhere. Everyone had a great time watching it. I had never seen anything like that before. There were docents stationed along the way with helpful information. As dusk set in, the multi-colored lights turned on and set a serene mood. It was a beautiful night to be out and I was grateful as I really loved watching all the animals.

I Found God today in his creation of so many unique animals.

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Church Beginnings

Posted by eph21920 on August 12, 2025 in Begin, Faith, Family, Grateful, Music, Past, Priest

I been trying to finish sorting out the different kinds of media here in the house, including the VHS tapes. There are so many that my dad recorded – particularly Star Trek and Sherlock Holmes. There are also some family movies, recordings of events, and some that are undefined. I had a stack that I started watching to see exactly what they were. In doing so, I put on a recording of a church dedication from 1987. It was our family church when we moved here in the late 1970’s and was housed in a temporary location. It took many years, but the parish came up with the plan and the funds to build a huge new permanent church. The recording of the dedication was not bad, for 1987 VHS quality. I was very interested in seeing the choir. My mother played the organ and her friend was the director. The camera did capture them both several times. Then, as they panned across the choir, I recognized my 1980’s hair. I didn’t remember singing in the choir for that event, but there I was. I also recognized many of the singers, most of whom have passed away. The Mass itself was very casual and contemporary. I remembered the church going through that time, but it was kind of a shock to see. There were no altar servers, but many other people who had assorted jobs during the celebration. A Methodist pastor said a blessing over the “baptismal pool”. The altar was set to the side, and the priest’s and bishop’s chairs were front and center. There was no altar cloth, but one small patten. The Eucharist was held in glass containers instead of the traditional gold. During Communion, many people dunked the host into the cup before placing it in their mouth. It was very different from what I am used to now and interesting to see how the pendulum swings. At the same time, the church was then and is now a place to worship God, to receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit, to come together as a community to pray, learn, and support one another. As the pastor pointed out, the people are the church. I am grateful and blessed to have been part of the parish then, and to have my son get married there in just a few weeks.

I Found God remembering the beginnings of a beloved church.

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Mom’s Words

Posted by eph21920 on August 11, 2025 in Connected, Family, Friends, Past

I made my usual Monday visit and brought Communion to an elderly woman today. She sat in her favorite chair in the sun and I sat facing her. I was also partially in the sun. She got talking about all kinds of things, such as school times and riding the bus. At one point she looked intently at me and said, “You’re hair is so pretty.” The comment nearly took my breathe away as that was one of the last things my mother said to me as I bent over her bed. It was all I could do to hold back the tears. I thanked her and said that I got my mother’s curly hair. Then I pointed out the grays and we laughed about getting old. It is such a joy to visit her. I never know what she’s going to come up with. And every now and again, I think she is delivering messages from my parents.

I Found God today remembering words from my mother.

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Similar Experience

Posted by eph21920 on August 10, 2025 in Children, Connected, Faith, Grateful, Healing

Tonight I watched a program about an organization that leads service trips to Lourdes. There was an interview with a young woman who had been on the pilgrimage several times. The first time that she went, she was 12 years old. I was close to that age when I went. She said she wasn’t in a good frame of mind when she went, but when she arrived, she felt the overwhelming presence of God’s love. She had no idea what to expect and was surprised at the grace she felt flowing over her. I remember feeling the exact same way. Listening to the woman recount her experience once again confirmed the reality of the amazing experience that I had at Lourdes.

I Found God today remembering my grace filled experience in Lourdes.

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Brownies at Home

Posted by eph21920 on August 9, 2025 in Answer, Children, Family, Food, Happiness, Joy, Life

My granddaughter, daughter in law, and I made plans to go out and do something fun each week for the last 3 weeks before school starts. However, when we tried to go to the zoo, my granddaughter became very car sick and we were unable to enjoy the day. Another day we did go to the library and out for ice cream. So, instead of trying to go out on another adventure, we decided to have a baking day. My granddaughter had a Harry Potter recipe book and picked out a brownie recipe. I gathered up all the ingredients and went over there today. The 3 of us spent a couple hours in the kitchen making the treats. There was some time spent trying to understand the recipe and having to make adjustments. We talked about that and we how it was all an experiment, especially when we do something new. In the end, the brownies turned out really good and delicious. Even though I enjoy going out and about, we agreed that we can have a really good time all together at home.

I Found God today enjoying good time with my granddaughter and daughter in law.

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Looking Ahead

Posted by eph21920 on August 8, 2025 in Uncategorized

This morning I had breakfast with my son’s fiancee. We talked all about upcoming wedding things. She is so carefree and not stressed about anything. She said that the day will be what it should. And while something unexpected may come up, it won’t change the purpose and celebration of the day. She has such a beautiful outlook. In the afternoon I went to my granddaughter’s school with her and her mom. They had an open house to meet her new teacher for this year. She will be going into 5th grade, which is at the top of this school. Many friends came into the classroom and they were all excited to see one another. When we left, her teacher said he would see her next week for the first day of school. She jumped up and down and told him how excited she was to begin. I was so grateful to spend time today with the wonderful girls in the family, getting excited for upcoming happy events.

I Found God today looking forward to upcoming happy events.

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Little Man

Posted by eph21920 on August 7, 2025 in Birthday, Children, Friends, Generosity

Yesterday was my neighbor’s birthday. She picked up her 6 year old grandson bright and early this morning to spend the day with him. His mother left him some money so he could take his Mimi out for coffee. So before they came to her house, they stopped at a coffee shop. The boy was quite a gentleman and very proud of himself as he bought the coffee.

I Found God today in the joy of a child and his Mimi.

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His Rosary

Posted by eph21920 on August 6, 2025 in Faith, Life, Prayer, Stranger

I decided to go to church today when I realized the Gospel reading was of the Transfiguration. For whatever reason, that is one of my favorite stories. I try to imagine what it must have been like for the apostles to experience a little foretaste of Heaven. I arrived a little early to find the people in the church praying the rosary. After I chose a seat, I joined in the prayers. The gentleman leading the rosary had a beautiful voice, like a radio announcer or documentary speaker. After Mass, I just happened to walk out with him. I told him that he had a great voice. He said that he was away from the church for too long. He remembered praying the rosary with his grandmother and that is what brought him back to the church. Now he gives the rosary back in prayer as often as possible. I thanked him for sharing his story and for helping us all to have a prayerful experience.

I Found God today in a man’s faith story.

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Jewelry Videos

Posted by eph21920 on August 5, 2025 in Connected, Family, Grateful, Love, Past

I am so glad that I made some videos of my mom explaining some of the jewelry that she had collected over the years. We would never have known the origin of them otherwise. Today I took some to the jewelry repair shop. There was a strand of pearls that had come apart some time ago. My mom held on to it and I wanted to get it restrung. In the video, my mom talked about the complete necklace. She had bought that one to replace the broken strand. I also brought a gold leaf pin with a pearl that was very loose. My mom said that my dad bought it for her when they were dating. I had found several single pearl earrings and one pair that needed new posts.  At the shop, the expert was able to tell me which pieces had monetary value. The value of the others were sentimental. I watched the videos again and felt very close to my mom and my dad who loved to buy her beautiful jewelry. It was one of the ways he showed his love for her.

I Found God today feeling close to my parents through videos and jewelry.

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No Caregiver

Posted by eph21920 on August 4, 2025 in Happiness, Job, Life

I went to visit my elderly woman today and was surprised that her caregiver’s car wasn’t there. As I was approaching the door, I was hoping everything was alright. The woman’s son greeted me and said that the woman was upstairs. He went to his workplace in the house. Then his wife popped her head out of an upstairs door and said that she was just getting the woman out of the shower. She invited me to go on up. I sat in a little area not too far from the bathroom to wait. On the coffee table were some magazines and on top was one of Queen Elizabeth. The daughter in law said that the woman really liked following her. It was one more thing she had in common with my mother. As I waited, I could hear the daughter in law encouraging the woman as she finished getting ready. She told me that the caregiver had been in the hospital. She was home now, but took the day off to rest. The daughter in law had to rearrange her day to care for the elderly woman. Once the woman was ready, we all made our way downstairs. The daughter in law carried the walker down the steps in front of the woman to make sure she was safe. It was slow going down the long staircase. Once they reached the bottom, the woman took her walker back and made her way to her chair. Once she sat down, she let out a loud, heavy sigh. I told her she had already had her morning workout. The woman was just so cooperative and pleasant. The daughter in law disappeared as I gave the woman Communion and chatted a bit. When she came back later, she was more put together. I remembered those harried days when caregiving seemed overwhelming. I was glad to be able to provide some time for the daughter in law to get caught up in her morning routine.

I Found God today being able to help.

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