Leave a comment

Turkey Trot Participants

Posted by eph21920 on November 28, 2019 in Friends, Life, Love, Sick, Struggles

Tonight on the news, there was a story about the annual “Turkey Trot” race at the nearby YMCA. I knew a couple of people running the race, so paid close attention to see if I could spot any of them. To my surprise, the news station interviewed a family that I thought I recognized. They were all in matching red sweatshirts. One of the men said they were running for their father who was suffering from bladder cancer. When one of the children turned around, they showed the back of the shirt that revealed the family name. It was the children, in-laws, and grandchildren of a friend of mine. I am sure that meant so much to him and his wife.

I Found God today in a family honoring a friend and sharing it with many others.

Permalink
Leave a comment

No Shoveling

Posted by eph21920 on November 26, 2019 in Answer, Grateful, Happiness, Life, Weather

We had a beautiful snow storm here that started overnight last night. According to the forecasts, it should have stopped snowing early this afternoon. We had at least 8″ of snow stacked up on the porch railing. In the housing complex, there is a contract to have the snow shoveled off the sidewalks and in front of the garages if there is a certain amount of snow. The homeowner has been responsible for clearing their own porch and steps. But I have yet to figure out exactly what the measurable amount is and where exactly they may shovel. Sometimes I will shovel just to see them coming in right behind me. Other times I have put it off and end up having to do it later because no one came. Today I decided there had to be enough snow for them to come and I refused to go out. Besides, the snow kept coming in flurries even after sunset. Late in the afternoon, I saw our neighbor shoveling our shared sidewalk. I was surprised he didn’t wait. Only an hour or so later, I heard shoveling on the porch. My dad opened the door and chatted with the couple of guys who were there clearing the snow away. He thanked them and came inside. I was just super happy that my defiance actually worked out.

I Found God today not having to go outside in the frigid cold to shovel.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Children on Break

Posted by eph21920 on November 25, 2019 in Children, Friends, Fun, Laughter

The schools in my area have Thanksgiving break all week long. So, this morning at my mom’s exercise class, one of the interns who is an older man brought his 3 children with him. Also, a couple brought their granddaughter. During the class, all 4 kids sat on the floor while the other caregiver who was there with her granddaughter and I sat in the chairs. Needless to say, the children kept us entertained the whole time. They weren’t still for one second. They showed off their flexible little bodies by doing back bends, the splits, and making bridges. They did magic tricks, told jokes, and talked about their music lessons. They climbed on each other, danced, and did the stretches with the class. It was simply joyful to experience their uninhibited activity.

I Found God today enjoying children.

Permalink
Leave a comment

4-Wheel Drive

Posted by eph21920 on November 24, 2019 in Answer, Car, Family, Grateful, Knowledge, Past

It snowed a couple of days ago and my parents and I thought today would be a good day to go to the cabin. The sun had melted off quite a bit of the snow in the city and the roads were completely clear, so we figured the roads to the cabin would be fine. All the roads were as expected until we reached the less traveled road that led directly to the house. It was not plowed at all, which is very unusual. Luckily, we brought the Trailblazer. There are full time residents at the end of the road who left tire tracks, so I figured I would just follow them. I put the Blazer in 4 wheel drive high gear and headed down the winding, snow covered dirt road. It did fine and a lower gear kept it from going too fast down the hill. We opted to park at the top of the steep driveway to avoid any potential problems and shoveled a path leading from the car to the front door. After enjoying the day, it was time to head home. However, the vehicle being parked on a slight incline wouldn’t budge. I put it in the 4 wheel drive low gear and that got it moving. Now instead of slowly going downhill, we had to climb up the snowy road. We came to the spot that has always given us troubles in the past with its banked uphill turns. Just as I thought we were home free, we slid and slowed until we were just spinning the tires. I stopped completely and switched gears again to 4 wheel drive high. We started moving forward again. I gave it enough gas to get us up and out without sliding off the road. Success. I was grateful for all that experimental driving I did as a teenager that helped me know how to navigate the situation.

I Found God today knowing how to drive safely out of a snowy road.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Coffeemaker Miracle

Posted by eph21920 on November 23, 2019 in Answer, Faith, Family, Joy, Life, Miracle, Prayer

About 25 years ago, my siblings and I pitched in and bought my parents a fancy coffeemaker. It has different settings for regular coffee, espresso, beans or ground, and can even make froth for a cappuccino. My dad has been vigilant about cleaning it and taking care of it, but recently it has been giving him problems. Today he descaled it according to the prompts. When it was finished, it said to empty the grounds container. When he opened it to do so, the inside of the machine looked very wrong. Parts were not where they belonged and they were jammed in tight. We were very puzzled about the whole thing and spoke to my siblings who did not know what happened or what to do. We tried to move things a little, but were afraid to break it. Finally, my dad shut the door and walked away. We decided to go to Mass this afternoon, so after taking one last look at the machine, we headed out. When we returned, I asked my dad if he received any inspiration at church. He said he did and he prayed for a miracle. He opened the door to the coffeemaker and to our surprise, everything was just as it should be. We were shocked. My dad made a couple cups of coffee to try it out and it worked fine. Even though a coffeemaker seems trivial and our God is a big God, he can certainly care for us in the small details of our lives.

I Found God today in a coffeemaker miracle.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Playing Wii

Posted by eph21920 on November 22, 2019 in Answer, Family, Happiness, Life, Struggles

It has been a long time since we played the Wii. The cold and snowy weather today kept us in, so we took the opportunity and turned on the game. I started playing and could definitely tell that I was out of practice. Then my mom got on for a while. She decided she wanted to work on the balancing exercises. We put a chair in front of her to hold on to if needed. It was difficult for her as she hit soccer balls, did slalom skiing, walked a tightrope, and caught fish while standing on an ice berg dressed as a penguin. She was a little sad at the low scores she was receiving. Then she played the game that you had to get balls to drop into holes while on a tilted platform. She was a pro and got one of the highest scores. She proved that even when you think you can’t do anything well, there is still something that you can do as a pro.

I Found God today in my persistent pro mom.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Before Bed

Posted by eph21920 on November 21, 2019 in Family, Life, Past, Patience, Peace

Before I went to bed tonight, I read something my sister shared:

“Before your head hits the pillow tonight, remind yourself of the things you did right. Let go of the things you could have done better. Be patient with yourself, and remember that big things are achieved not all at once, but rather one day at a time.”

I Found God today in beautiful bedtime thoughts.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Without God

Posted by eph21920 on November 20, 2019 in Answer, Connected, Creation, Faith, Jesus, Life

I saw 2 messages this morning that I thought about for the rest of the day. The first was a short video talking about what happens if you say you don’t believe in God. You would then become the master of yourself – you are your own God. You would have to always be right and your thinking would be the only thing that matters. We know this isn’t true. We know that our actions affect those around us – good or bad. In the civilized world we have laws that try to protect people from the hurtful actions of those around us. More than that, we recognize that we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves. We can see this in the inspiring beauty of nature, the birth of a child, the awesomeness of the uncontrollable weather. The second message was a quote:

“When people are empty of Christ, a thousand and one other things come and fill them up; jealousies, hatred, boredom, melancholy, resentment, a worldly outlook, worldly pleasures. Try to fill your soul with Christ so that it’s not empty.” St. Porphyrios.

I Found God today in a reminder of the need for Him to be in my life.

Permalink
Leave a comment

High School Photo Again

Posted by eph21920 on November 19, 2019 in Connected, Family, Friends, Fun, Life, Relationship

My sister took a few days off to visit her son and friend of hers. She met her friend in high school – more than 40 years ago – and they became very close. After graduation they stayed in touch on and off during marriages and children. The last time they saw each other was 7 years ago for a high school reunion. My sister said when they reconnected, they just picked up where they left off. That is the blessing of a true lifelong friend. When they were visiting this time, they decided to recreate one of their favorite photos from high school. They did a great job, complete with hands in jeans pockets, holding a notebook, and purse slung over the back. While the 43 years of life experience had changed their appearance slightly, the friendship they have was still evident.

I Found God today in a long time friendship.

Permalink
2 Comments

All Fixed

Posted by eph21920 on November 18, 2019 in Answer, Family, Knowledge, New, Problem

We started today with a cardiology appointment for both my mom and dad. Unfortunately, their doctor was unable to see them as he was at the hospital “saving someone’s life” as we were told by his nurse. So, really that was unfortunate for us but extremely fortunate for the other person. An NP stood in for him and spent a long time with us going over medications and any concerns. After all was said and done, she made no changes and gave us things to watch for. She also sent a note to their doctor with a question she did not know the answer to and called us about an hour later with the response. It was a productive appointment, even though they didn’t see their regular doctor. In the afternoon, we went to the hearing aide doctor as my mom was having a little trouble with her new hearing aides. The doctor adjusted the devices and replaced a couple parts. She also changed some pieces in my dad’s hearing aides. Both of my parents are now able to hear much better. After that appointment, we went to the small appliance repair shop. My dad has an electric shaver that had not been doing it’s job. He was in and out in about 10 minutes. The technician replaced a part and the shaver now works like new. And it cost a fraction of what a new one would be. It was an overall productive day getting things fixed.

I Found God today getting things fixed and in the people who fixed them.

Permalink