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A Call To Prayer

Posted by eph21920 on March 15, 2020 in Faith, Prayer, Priest, Struggles

Like many Catholic Diocese around the world, ours decided it would be in the best interest of all to cancel Mass at this time. So, like we have many times recently, we turned on EWTN to watch the Mass. The homily by Fr. Miguel Marie, MFVA, really stirred my heart. Here are some of the things he said that I found most meaningful:

“Deep down, we all have a deep thirst for God, whether we know it or not…. This life is short, is has it’s time…It is crucial that we all unite in prayer begging that God keep us and all who are in danger safe from this serious illness…We have all done things that are a waste of time instead of spending time with God…We spend hours quarreling on social media, but hardly any minutes with God in prayer…Few of us will be taken down by this sickness, most of us will survive and have another opportunity to live a better life…Today in our country, President Trump declared a National Day of Prayer…God can use political figures to call us to prayer…It’s time to put our differences aside and come together to storm Heaven daily in prayer.”

I Found God in stirring and relevant words from a priest.

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May the Lord Bless You

Posted by eph21920 on March 14, 2020 in Connected, Family, Hope, Music

My sister came over today. It was good to see her back to her usual energetic self after her spider bite and flu episode. At one point she was whistling a tune. My mom asked her what the melody was. It was “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” She said it just popped into her head. My mom said she had just been thinking about that song yesterday and was looking for the music to play it on the piano. She went right over and played the song. It was funny that both my mom and my sister thought of this song out of the blue. And it is so fitting for right now.

I Found God today in a family reminder of a needed message.

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Patience and Respect

Posted by eph21920 on March 13, 2020 in Connected, Food, Life, Shopping, Stranger, Struggles

I headed to the grocery store this morning. I thought perhaps it wouldn’t be so crowded early in the morning during a snowstorm. Boy was I wrong. I learned from some of employees that there had been lines of people since 6:00 this morning. I was expecting the worst, but hoping for the best. As I made my way through the aisles, I started to feel a camaraderie with my fellow shoppers. It seemed to me that most people felt the same way. People were polite and patient. I didn’t see anyone losing their temper or getting upset. I didn’t see anyone hoarding any particular item. Everyone checked the toilet paper aisle – just in case. People chatted with one another as we all waited in the long lines. It was even said out loud, “We’ll all get through this – together.” That is the mindset I think we all need to have at this time.

I Found God today in very patient and respectful shoppers.

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Grandson’s Confirmed

Posted by eph21920 on March 12, 2020 in Faith, Family, Grace, Grateful

This evening, my grandson received his Confirmation. He chose my son – his uncle – to be his sponsor. I was sad not to be able to attend, but we prayed for him during the Mass. And I was grateful to get some photos of him receiving the Sacrament almost in real time. He looked so happy. When we chatted a little later he said it felt good to be holy, he liked the smell of the oil, and his feet hurt. I feel very blessed that my children still make their faith a part of their lives and are raising their children to do the same.

I Found God today as my grandson got Confirmed.

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Hero of the Day

Posted by eph21920 on March 11, 2020 in Answer, Dog, Family, Grateful

My brother took his dog on a long walk this afternoon as usual. But when he returned he had a story to tell. While they were walking, they were approached by a large black lab who was alone – no person, no leash. At first my brother tried to shoo the dog away as he didn’t want an altercation with his own dog. But, the dogs were friendly to one another and my brother saw that the lab had on a collar with tags. He was able to grab a hold of the collar, but the dog squirmed out of it and ran into a nearby garage. There was a man working in the garage, so he and my brother were able to get the collar back on the dog and my brother was able to call the owner. Luckily, they lived only a couple of blocks away. When they showed up to claim their dog, they were very apologetic and grateful. We told my brother he was the hero of the day.

I Found God today in my very helpful brother.

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Remembered Tribute

Posted by eph21920 on March 10, 2020 in Family, Friends, Fun, Life, Music

My mom and one her best friends’ used to lead the church choir together for years. My mom played the organ and/or piano and her friend directed. It was a great group of people and they would get together for parties as well. My mom’s friend was going through some old papers and brought some over today. They included some songs that some choir members wrote in tribute to my mom. My mom’s friend played the piano and we all sang and got teary eyed by the end. Here is one that went to the tune of “More”.

She is the greatest one our choir has known, This woman of such talent she has shown, Songs from her throat are music any day, No simple task is it to sing and play. Still, makes no matter when She will always play again, She makes music ever bet-a, dear-a, love Anita. Fonder and fonder we become of her, So let’s make certain she remains ever, Treat her as if she were your own, Welcome her into your home, Our Anita, bless her more.

I Found God today in a beautiful song written in tribute to my mom.

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Back to Things

Posted by eph21920 on March 9, 2020 in Begin, Bible, Family, Grateful, Healing, Home, Present

When my dad had the stroke, everything kind of stopped. We just took one day at a time as it presented itself. But as he has been recovering and doing so well recently, we have been considering returning to classes and such. Today my mom decided to take the leap and attended her exercise class. Everyone was happy to see her and she was happy to see them. I enjoyed walking and talking with the other caregivers. My mom did great in the class. While we were gone, my dad got after the laundry. In the evening I returned to my Bible class. It was good to be there and delve into God’s Word. And I was grateful to hear that the class had been praying for my dad and my family this whole time.

I Found God today as we made efforts to return to normal things.

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Mountain Top Experiences

Posted by eph21920 on March 8, 2020 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Grateful, Life, Relationship

The Gospel reading at Mass today was about the Transfiguration of Jesus, when some of the Apostles climbed a mountain with Jesus and saw Him shine in His glory. I could very much relate to the words the priest shared. He said that we all have “mountain top” experiences in which God reveals Himself to us in a very intense moment. This can be during a retreat, prayer, or another point in time when we are extremely connected to God. He shines through for us. But those instances are few and far between. It is up to us to stay connected to God through our prayer life. Otherwise, it is too easy to allow the darkness take over. If we can remain faithful, when those difficult times come – and they will – we can remember those “mountain top” experiences and remember how much God loves us. He will be our night light, our beacon, keeping us focused on Him instead of the troubles around us. I, for one, was grateful for the reminder.

I Found God today remembering my mountain top experiences.

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Finally Painting

Posted by eph21920 on March 7, 2020 in Family, Food, Friends, Grateful, Laughter

For the past couple years, we have been celebrating my sisters’ birthdays by getting a group of friends together and having a painting party. It has been hard to make this happen, but today it finally worked out. Last night, I really enjoyed baking cookies and muffins for the event, even though I was up later than usual. Today we met our friends and family and just had a wonderful time. We played games, ate, laughed, and got our creative juices flowing. All of our paintings looked very different, but beautiful in their own way. Since we have all been doing this together several times now, it is a very comfortable, fun group who look forward to the event. It seemed everyone really needed this outlet right at this time.

I Found God today enjoying a fun time with friends and family.

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Welcomed Change of Pace

Posted by eph21920 on March 5, 2020 in Family, Grateful, Healing, Home, New

It has been pretty hectic around here. Therapists and nurses have been coming over 4-5 days a week. My parents have had several extremely restless nights. Yesterday, the last therapist came over to discharge my dad from the program. Last night, my parents slept like they haven’t for years and got up late. It was so nice not to have to get ready for anyone or anything as there were no appointments today. My dad even stayed in his pajamas for most of the morning. The whole day was relaxing and a welcomed change of pace.

I Found God today in a more relaxing atmosphere.

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