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Jesus Misses Us More

Posted by eph21920 on May 17, 2020 in Eucharist, Faith, Family, Home, Jesus, Struggles

My parents and I “went to church” this morning as we have for many months now – we went downstairs, turned on the TV and decided which Mass to participate with. Now we have a home altar that we set up during Lent that remains at the corner of the TV with a cloth, candle, cross, some prayers, and picture of Our Lady of Fatima. Today we tuned into our home parish. They started allowing a small number of people in the church to worship together. The first thing the priest did was to welcome the people “back home”, which was acknowledged with applause. He said that as much as we miss Jesus – particularly in the Eucharist – it is but a tiny drop compared to the ocean of how much Jesus misses us. When we first started watching Mass on TV, it was because my dad had a stroke and was not up to going out. I admit I would get comfortable in the recliner and put my feet up. But as time has gone on and it has become clear that the downstairs will remain our own personal chapel for a while, I have made some changes. I now make sure I am dressed appropriately, I stand, sit, and kneel at the proper times, sing, and respond. I do my best to fully participate. I do miss Jesus in the Eucharist. But I know He is still present in our lives and in our home. It is comforting to realize that He longs for me even more than I can for Him. And while we are unable to receive Holy Communion at this time, when we do, we will be ready, having prepared best we can.

I Found God today in a reminder of how Jesus longs for me.

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Lunch Parade

Posted by eph21920 on May 16, 2020 in Fun, Opportunity, Struggles

Today as we were eating our lunch, we saw a van drive by all decorated with balloons and streamers. Behind it was another one, and another, and another. I don’t know how many there were in total. Some had messages, but I couldn’t tell what they said. As the procession turned on to the next street, they started honking their horns. It was a drive-by celebration of some kind. The other day when I was out for a walk, I saw a similar party on another street. This house had a big sign that announced the 16th birthday of a girl who lived there and invited people to honk as they drove by. Of course, people obliged. We talked about how wonderful it is that people are thinking about one another and being creative in how to celebrate together. And we enjoyed the parade during lunch.

I Found God today seeing people celebrate others.

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For Entertainment Sake

Posted by eph21920 on May 15, 2020 in Family, Joy, Movie, Music

We have been following the shows that Andrew Lloyd Webber has provided every weekend. I found out this morning that “Cats” was to be shown this time. My mom, dad, brother, and I all have seen it before but were in agreement that we wanted to watch it, so we turned it on. At the end, we discussed the production. When I saw “Cats” for the first time, I kept expecting there to be some deep meaningful story or something. But it is literally just about cats and that’s ok. My dad, mom and brother all said the same thing. So watching it tonight, we knew what to expect and just enjoyed the music, dancing, singing, and costumes. And we all did enjoy it. There was no deep emotional heart-strings being pulled, no trying to figure out what was happening, nothing that was disturbing. It was simply entertainment for entertainment’s sake.

I Found God today having an evening of just good entertainment.

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One Last Item

Posted by eph21920 on May 14, 2020 in Answer, Food, Friends, Generosity, Grateful

My brother is preparing to leave in a couple of days for a summer job. So, I decided I better take the opportunity to restock the house with food and necessities before he goes. I went to a couple of stores, but there was just one item that I was unable to find. When I got back home and was unloading the car, my neighbor was outside so we chatted for a bit. As I unloaded my full trunk, he asked if I had a successful trip. He said he was heading out to do some shopping too and asked if there was anything I still needed. I told him I got everything but the one item. He was able to find it in his trip and left it on our porch. It was very timely and thoughtful of him and I was happy to have everything that I was needing.

I Found God today in a thoughtful neighbor.

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Uplifting Call

Posted by eph21920 on May 13, 2020 in Birthday, Family, Joy, Life

My parents have been talking about calling my aunt and were able to get in touch with her today. Her birthday is close to my dad’s and she also turned 90 years old. They had a nice conversation with her. After they hung up, they talked about how good it was to hear her voice and that she sounded just like always. My mom said it was very uplifting for her.

I Found God today in an uplifting phone conversation.

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Biblical Impact

Posted by eph21920 on May 12, 2020 in Answer, Bible, Faith, Grateful, Healing, Hope, Peace

This year of my Bible School has been pretty chaotic for me. When my dad had the stroke in January, I ended up missing 8 classes. I had stayed in contact with the teacher and she encouraged me not to give up. I made it back for 1 class, then the corona virus hit. Luckily, all the lectures have been made available online and our lesson book (besides the Bible) is very thorough. I have been slowly but steadily making up the work. Today I completed a lesson on the first 7 chapters of Hebrews. Part of the homework was to write a reflection of the impact that reading the Bible has made. One particular line from the reading is “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Heb 4:12. As I thought about this, indeed the scripture can cut me to the heart and bring to light my failures and short comings. At the same time, it brings me peace, hope, and encouragement. All of these bring healing, a desire to be a better person, and the grace to try to do so. Reading the Bible is a tremendous blessing and I do believe it is the living, active Word of God.

I Found God today in His Living Words.

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Afternoon Visit

Posted by eph21920 on May 11, 2020 in Family, Life

My son came over this afternoon to talk over some decisions that he is trying to make. We sat on the porch to keep our 6′ distance. My parents stayed outside for quite a while and went in when it got too chilly. But I continued to chat with him another hour or so. It was great to see him and for us both to have the flexibility to just sit outside and talk a while when he needed it.

I Found God today visiting with my son.

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Virtual Painting

Posted by eph21920 on May 11, 2020 in Connected, Family, Fun, Opportunity

My sisters, son, and some friends like to go to the group painting classes for a fun event. My mom has mentioned that she would like to try it, but I thought it would be a bit overwhelming for her. They have been closed now, like most businesses. However, last week, I saw an ad for a virtual class to do online for Mother’s Day and people could join in from all over. I invited the family and had supply kits sent out. So today, I, my mom, my son, my daughter-in-law and a grandson, my sister and her son and girlfriend all joined in the Zoom painting event. The class was run so well by the instructor that my mom could keep up and follow along with no problem. I chatted with the family during the class and we shared photos of our pictures. We all had so much fun celebrating Mother’s Day this way.

I Found God today participating in a fun virtual event with far away family.

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More Beautiful Bouquets

Posted by eph21920 on May 9, 2020 in Creation, Family, Grateful, Happiness

This morning, my mom and I combined 2 of the bouquets she has received into 1 as we removed flowers that were past their peak. Once we finished, we placed the vase on the dining room table and admired it. Then the doorbell rang. It was a delivery of another beautiful bouquet for my mom for Mother’s Day. We placed it in the empty spot we had left on the living room table. We are really enjoying the beauty and fragrance of the flowers and it seems we will continue to do so for a while longer.

I Found God today in even more beautiful flowers.

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Smiling Friends

Posted by eph21920 on May 8, 2020 in Food, Friends, Happiness, Joy

I planned on making cookies yesterday, so decided to make a double batch. I made several packages to share with the people in my prayer group. I texted them this morning and told them I would drop them off. When I arrived at each home, I put the package by their door, rang the doorbell and backed up. I chatted a bit with everyone. We have been meeting via Zoom for the past two months and will continue to do so. It isn’t being together in person, but it works. Everyone was so happy to have the cookies and to be able to chat a bit in real life.

I Found God today in smiling friends.

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