Both my mom and dad went to a doctor today. One was planned, one was unexpected. Luckily, one of my sister’s was able to come and help. She took my dad while I took my mom. Happily, we all reconvened for lunch. Everyone is home tonight and doing well with instructions to follow up. My sister and her husband took the week off to enjoy a stay-cation for their wedding anniversary. I was so grateful that she came and spent many hours here today.
I Found God today being able to count on my sister.
My grandchildren started school today. Well, virtually. The token first day of school photos were taken in the house. The youngest one even wore her backpack. The oldest started his senior year of high school. As the school is still getting the schedules in order, all he had was home room and was off for the rest of the day. He said it was very interesting and that they were getting accustomed to what the “new normal” will be. Mostly he is very much looking forward to completing his senior year. The middle child was on the computer until just after noon. And the youngest started Kindergarten. Ironically, she was online for the longest amount of time. My daughter in law is working from home right now. She said the youngest child sat next to her while she worked. She was happy they were able to borrow and additional computer so all 3 kids would have one. While she did her own work, she monitored a Kindergarten day and checked on the other two kids. And she said it went very well. I was in awe of her multi-tasking abilities. I’m sure there will be some struggles, but I am happy that they all started out the school year in a positive way.
I Found God today as my grandchildren were able to start school and it seemed to go well.
I belong to a social media group of Catholic Caregivers that I came upon a while back. People share struggles, questions, advice, and prayer requests. Today the organizer of the group share what she is going through and asked how we may all be able to pray for one another this week. After reading one request, I decided to go ahead and put mine in as well. It felt good to get responses, encouragement, and promises of prayers from people I have never met. We all understand and feel connected this way.
I Found God today in encouragement and prayers from people I haven’t met.
About 10 days ago, my brother found out that a couple who he works with contracted coronavirus. Working in a store, they all come in contact with hundreds of people every day. Of course, there is a mask policy. However, the man who caught the virus wore a mask similar to a bandana that was loose and open at the bottom. The woman wore a full covering face mask and caught the virus since she lived with the man. Unfortunately, the couple had to be hospitalized and the man is still struggling. My brother said that he worked very closely with the woman much of the time. He has always worn one of the face masks that my friend made him and said he was also vigilant about good personal hygiene. When his work discovered that the couple had tested positive for the virus, everyone who had been in close contact with them were quarantined for 2 weeks from the exposure. That included my brother. We talked with him often. We prayed for him and for the healing of the couple. Today was my brother’s last day of quarantine and he never felt ill. He has also taken a couple of coronavirus tests that have come back negative. With all the debate about mask wearing, this situation clearly shows that wearing a good mask and being vigilant about hygiene does make a difference. I am very grateful that my brother did what was recommended and necessary for his health and that he is still well.
I Found God today as my brother did not get the coronavirus after an exposure.
My sister has been trying to clean things out as she gets ready to move. She came over this morning and brought some photos that we may want. It was fun looking at the pictures from years ago and seeing the fun we had with friends and family. Tonight I talked with one of those friends and we reminisced. It was uplifting to remember and laugh with a friend who has been a part of my life for such a long time.
I Found God today remembering good times and laughing with a good friend.
This morning our neighbor told me about 2 people he knew who contracted the coronavirus. They live in different places and their cases are not related. One was an elderly family member and the other was a good friend. Both of them had bad enough symptoms that they were hospitalized. One of them had said they didn’t want any life sustaining intervention if it would come to that. Both of the patients were given plasma that had the virus antibodies. They both recovered and were able to go home in just a few days after the treatment. With all the negative and scary stories that are out there, it was uplifting to here of real people who have much to be thankful for.
I Found God today hearing about people who have recovered from coronavirus.
Today I was very happy to have most of the day to myself. A family friend came over and stayed with my parents while I went out and about. It was a beautiful day and I planned to spend most of it outside and just “be”. I headed to one of the most popular spots to do a little hike before it got too hot. The trails I chose had very few people on them, which was nice. I parked the car at the visitor center and by the time I returned, the place was full. I went inside for a quick cool off and there were more people in there than I wanted to be around, so I moved on. My next destination was a nature center that I had never been to before. I was pleasantly surprised to see very few cars in the parking lot. There were several intersecting trails, so I could choose exactly how far I wanted to go. It was pretty hot by this time and I was glad to see that much of the trails were under the cover of the large pines and followed a creek. I found a place that had a log over the stream, so I sat on it and just watched and listened to the water for a while. I remembered that when I was a kid, I used to love to put my feet in the water when we would hike. Seemed like a good idea, so I went with it. The frigid water felt so good on my hot feet and seemed to cool my whole body. It was a very relaxing day to myself, just as I imagined.
I Found God today taking time to just “be”.
I was talking with a friend today about the difficulties of staying grounded and living the life God has set out for us. She brought up different scenarios where Jesus teaches us how to care for ourselves, such as taking time away from the busy-ness and spending time alone with God. I quickly replied but Jesus IS God. She responded just as quickly with a reminder that same God dwells in each of us. He created us in His image and likeness. And through my Baptism, I belong to His family. Things look much different when I remember that.
I Found God today in a reminder that He dwells within me.
I visited a friend on Zoom tonight. She is going through a very hectic time right now as she is trying to get her house ready to sell. She’s also coordinating her move across the country. As she described the things she is struggling with, I could see the stress on her face. Then we got to talking about God. She told me of a prayer that focused on the “Our Father”, particularly the true desire that God’s Will be done here on earth as it is in Heaven. After all, if we had Heaven here on earth, that would be amazing. The more she talked about God and prayer, I noticed a stark change in her facial expression and disposition. The worry and stress faded as the joy of her relationship with God and love for and from Him became most evident. Thus is the beauty of knowing God.
I Found God today seeing the change in a friend as she talked about Him.
It was a rough night last night with not much sleep. My parents got up with many worries on their minds. After breakfast we said some prayers, including my favorite to Our Lady of Lourdes. When we finished, we decided that we had left our upcoming day in God’s hands and that nothing would happen today that wasn’t in His plan. We were reminded of His love for us and that we are to trust in Him. That was that. The day went well and the worries decreased. God is always faithful.
I Found God today giving our day to Him.
