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Committed to the Elderly

Posted by eph21920 on May 7, 2020 in Generosity, Knowledge, Opportunity, Service

Today my mom had a Zoom meeting with some instructors and participants from her Parkinson’s exercise class. One of the student interns who help with the program gave a presentation on the research she had done. Her topic was the importance of having a physical person lead an exercise class as opposed to watching it on a screen. She said she had been involved in elder care for over 10 years, which seemed hard to believe as she seems pretty young to me. In any case, her presentation was informative and interesting. But what really grabbed my attention was her passion. She talked about how doing the research along with all the work she has done with the elderly made her realize just how important it is to her that the people have a desire to care for themselves and have the best access to do so. I was very moved by her ambition and compassion for the elderly.

I Found God today in a young woman committed to caring for the elderly.

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Unexpected Blessings

Posted by eph21920 on May 6, 2020 in Begin, Connected, Family, Grace, Grateful, Opportunity, Relationship, Sick

Tonight I talked with some friends who the husband had battled cancer over the past year or so. He has been doing very well recently and his cancer is gone at this time. They said that an unexpected blessing through it all was the closer relationship they have as a family. They speak to their grown children and families on a regular basis now. They said that they were friendly before and got together every so often. But now they show love to one another that is very different. Their relationship was pushed into a whole new level. We also talked about how the “Stay at Home” order and all the social distancing has had the same affect on other families and communities. I know I really enjoy the weekly Zoom sessions we have with our whole family. God certainly can create good things in horrible situations if we have the eyes to see and the heart to accept.

I Found Got today in unexpected blessings.

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New Uniform

Posted by eph21920 on May 4, 2020 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Life

My dad and I went out and about today. The first stop was to get his hearing aids adjusted. We both put on our masks before entering the building. Thankfully, there were not too many people in the facility so we didn’t worry about sharing elevator space. A man asked the screening questions and took our temperatures before we entered the office. He was telling another gentleman that he needed to have some kind of face covering to go in, but he didn’t seem to have anything. Eventually, he came in wearing a mask. I supposed the office gave him one. There were not many people inside the office either so seating was not an issue. The doctor fixed up the hearing aids in no time and we were on our way to pick up an order. As we waited in the car, we watched people coming and going. There was a young man not wearing a mask and touching his face constantly. We saw a dad who was wearing a mask, but his 2 boys were not. A woman came out of a building with a mask on, took it off to smoke a cigarette, and put it back on when she was done. Many people got out of their cars with their mask on to pick up their orders that were outside, but a few did not. It was interesting just watching what others were doing. Even though it is strange and different to think about, I was glad that my dad and I were as prepared as could be. My dad said the face masks are just part of the new uniform now.

I Found God today being prepared to go out.

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Virtual Tiger Visit

Posted by eph21920 on May 3, 2020 in Birthday, Creation, Family, Fun, New, Opportunity

We love going to the local zoo. Usually we will try to go for my mom’s birthday or Mother’s Day. But, like most businesses that gather lots of people, the zoo is closed right now. Last week while we were chatting with my mom’s Parkinson’s exercise class, someone said they had been watching videos that the zoo had been sharing. My mom and I got on their website and found that they were also offering virtual animal encounters. I booked an encounter with the tiger to help my mom celebrate her birthday. My parents, brother, and I along with our other family members all joined in on the Webex session today, excited for the adventure. My brother got the picture on the big TV and once we got the sound worked out we had a great time. The zoo keeper was right along the fence and coaxed the tiger through some behaviors such as showing her teeth and paws, and standing up. When the animal did what was being asked of her, she was rewarded with some meat. It was especially amusing to watch the tiger wander away out of sight, then sneak up on the keeper and pounce on the fence. She looked like she was having a lot of fun. While we are unable to do the things we would like to do right now, this kind of encounter is something we would never have been able to do before. My mom very much enjoyed her special surprise. It was personal, informative, and wildly entertaining.

I Found God today enjoying a personal animal encounter.

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Blossoming Birthday

Posted by eph21920 on May 2, 2020 in Birthday, Creation, Family, Happiness

Today was my mom’s birthday. We decided to get her the geranium she always loves to put on the front porch. While I was at our favorite greenhouse, I purchased some annuals to plant in the two large pots by the outside steps. So, we got the front entrance all fixed up and looking ready for Spring. Later in the morning, my mom received a beautiful calla lily plant from my brother. Then she received 2 bouquets – one from each sister. We still had a few flowers remaining from previous bouquets, so my parents house looks like a greenhouse itself. It certainly brightens the mood and was a lovely way to celebrate my mom.

I Found God today in beautiful flowers.

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Thanking Each One

Posted by eph21920 on April 30, 2020 in Birthday, Family, Friends, Generosity, Grateful, Happiness

My dad received about 25 cards from the neighbors living in their development. He was very touched by all the kind notes that were included and wanted to thank each person. So, he decided to write a thank you card to everyone. Today we took a walk around the circular complex and delivered the notes. That in itself was a pretty ambitious task. It was heartwarming for me to see the consideration of the neighbors and how much it meant to my dad.

I Found God today in caring people who touched my dad’s heart.

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Our Lady Heals Again

Posted by eph21920 on April 29, 2020 in Answer, Healing, Hurt, Mary, Miracle, Prayer

I had been getting tired of wearing a bandage on my thumb and not being able to use it since I cut it so bad a few weeks ago. But, the doctor said it would take a long time to heal. I didn’t get a definition for exactly what “a long time” meant, so I have just been doing my best to be patient about it. Two nights ago, my mom suggested we start up the Lourdes prayers again. We had kind of set it aside while we were doing the Lenten prayers. So, we said the prayer and passed the bottle of Lourdes Holy Water around again. I thought it would be a good idea to put some on my thumb. It was bandaged, but I commented that the holiness could surely penetrate through. Yesterday morning, I took the bandage off and saw a piece of the scabbed skin sticking up. I pulled gently and the entire thing came off revealing new, healed pink skin. I showed my parents and my dad reminded me that I had put the holy water on and that Our Lady of Lourdes had come through again. I have left my thumb uncovered and have been able to use it more, even though it is still sensitive. I showed it to some friends and family today who were surprised at how good it looked. They also wondered why I had not turned to Our Lady of Lourdes and the holy water a long time ago.

I Found God today in my healing thumb.

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Dad’s 90

Posted by eph21920 on April 28, 2020 in Birthday, Family, Grateful, Life

Today was my dad’s 90th birthday! As morning started, we were a bit concerned because he wasn’t feeling so well. But, after sleeping a little longer, he felt normal and was ready to start the day. We had decorated the place with balloons and a banner with his photo. One of the neighbors came over with another balloon and chocolates – his favorites. Many other neighbors had dropped off cards over the last couple of days. My dad spent almost an hour opening them and reading the heartfelt messages. My aunt sent a beautiful basket of flowers. He received cards in the mail, messages on the phone and on social media. One of my sisters’ made a surprise trip and sat on the porch to visit “social distancing” style. We had a whole family Zoom session where everyone got a chance to individually wish a happy birthday and we did our best to sing all together. One of my brothers’ got a video message from Jonathan Frakes who played Commander Riker on Star Trek the Next Generation. My dad is a huge fan and that was probably the highlight of his day. We picked up dinner from his favorite German restaurant. And I made his favorite angel food that turned out perfectly due to the fact that I had taken notes last year. My dad and mom reminisced about the good life they have lived. By the end of the day, we were all pretty tired, but in a good way. This is not how we anticipated celebrating this year and my mom remarked that it certainly was different from any other parties we have had before. But it was still full of family, fun, food, and plenty of love. As I consider the past few years and months, I am grateful that my brother, mom, and I are here and mostly that my dad is here to celebrate this milestone.

I Found God today celebrating my dad’s 90th birthday.

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Fresh Air

Posted by eph21920 on April 27, 2020 in Bible, Creation, Faith, Happiness, Weather

It was just a gorgeous day today. I took advantage of the weather and sat outside for quite a while to read the book of Ephesians for my Bible class. I enjoyed the time, the words of comfort and wisdom, and the fresh air.

I Found God today enjoying the fresh air.

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What Is Faith

Posted by eph21920 on April 26, 2020 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Hope, Life

Today’s Gospel reading was the story of two disciples who left the city of Jerusalem after the death of Jesus and were on their way to Emmaus. They had even heard that Jesus was raised from the dead and some of their friends had seen Him. But they lacked faith and were on their way out. However, Jesus had other plans and showed up in their lives. At first they didn’t recognize Him, but later they did. Their faith was renewed. In the homily that we listened to, the priest talked about the definition of the word “faith” as told in scripture:
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence* of things not seen,” Hebrews 11:1
This thought stuck with me during the day. Then tonight, we all watched the final episode of God Friended Me. It was an abrupt ending for sure, but the major theme was the quest to help the main character re-find his own faith. I felt like I was getting God’s nudges to reflect on the status of my own faith and how I was responding to that.

I Found God today pondering faith in general and in my own life.

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