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Jewelry Videos

Posted by eph21920 on August 5, 2025 in Connected, Family, Grateful, Love, Past

I am so glad that I made some videos of my mom explaining some of the jewelry that she had collected over the years. We would never have known the origin of them otherwise. Today I took some to the jewelry repair shop. There was a strand of pearls that had come apart some time ago. My mom held on to it and I wanted to get it restrung. In the video, my mom talked about the complete necklace. She had bought that one to replace the broken strand. I also brought a gold leaf pin with a pearl that was very loose. My mom said that my dad bought it for her when they were dating. I had found several single pearl earrings and one pair that needed new posts.  At the shop, the expert was able to tell me which pieces had monetary value. The value of the others were sentimental. I watched the videos again and felt very close to my mom and my dad who loved to buy her beautiful jewelry. It was one of the ways he showed his love for her.

I Found God today feeling close to my parents through videos and jewelry.

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No Caregiver

Posted by eph21920 on August 4, 2025 in Happiness, Job, Life

I went to visit my elderly woman today and was surprised that her caregiver’s car wasn’t there. As I was approaching the door, I was hoping everything was alright. The woman’s son greeted me and said that the woman was upstairs. He went to his workplace in the house. Then his wife popped her head out of an upstairs door and said that she was just getting the woman out of the shower. She invited me to go on up. I sat in a little area not too far from the bathroom to wait. On the coffee table were some magazines and on top was one of Queen Elizabeth. The daughter in law said that the woman really liked following her. It was one more thing she had in common with my mother. As I waited, I could hear the daughter in law encouraging the woman as she finished getting ready. She told me that the caregiver had been in the hospital. She was home now, but took the day off to rest. The daughter in law had to rearrange her day to care for the elderly woman. Once the woman was ready, we all made our way downstairs. The daughter in law carried the walker down the steps in front of the woman to make sure she was safe. It was slow going down the long staircase. Once they reached the bottom, the woman took her walker back and made her way to her chair. Once she sat down, she let out a loud, heavy sigh. I told her she had already had her morning workout. The woman was just so cooperative and pleasant. The daughter in law disappeared as I gave the woman Communion and chatted a bit. When she came back later, she was more put together. I remembered those harried days when caregiving seemed overwhelming. I was glad to be able to provide some time for the daughter in law to get caught up in her morning routine.

I Found God today being able to help.

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Many Celebrations

Posted by eph21920 on August 3, 2025 in Birthday, Family, Friends, Grateful, Joy, Priest

Yesterday marked the 28th anniversary of a friend’s ordination to the priesthood and there was a little celebration after Mass today. He reminded me that 28 years ago today was when he celebrated his first Mass. I remembered going to his ordination and receiving his blessing. After church I headed home to celebrate my brother’s birthday. My sister came with a friend from high school who was visiting from out of state. It made me happy to see my sister so joyful. Later we got on family Zoom. My other sister described how they celebrated her husband’s birthday today. I was grateful to have many things to celebrate and be happy about today.

I Found God today in many celebrations.

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More Music

Posted by eph21920 on August 2, 2025 in Children, Connected, Family, Grateful, Healing, Life, Music, Past

My brother is here going through the last few cassette tapes that we found. Years ago, he spent time with my dad digitizing the tapes of my mom playing piano and singing in different venues, and of family recordings. However, as I was sorting out things, I came across a handful of cassettes that my brother didn’t recognize. He listened to some of them today and transferred those worth keeping. He found more recordings of our mother’s musical talents and another family travelog. We were living in Germany at that time. My brother had learned to play the guitar, so he was playing while my sister kept beat on the sofa and we all sang. Those were some wonderful memories. I am so grateful that my mother instilled her appreciation for music into us all and that my father used his technology skills to make recordings. And they allowed us kids to run the show. Furthermore, my dad and brothers had (and still have) the ability to digitize the music so my mom can always be with us, and my dad’s photos so we will always have them. What a blessing.

I Found God today remembering good childhood experiences and grateful to still have them.

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Marching Band

Posted by eph21920 on August 1, 2025 in Fun, Happiness, Music, Past, Present, Youth

Laat year I learned that a friend’s daughter was attending the same high school that I graduated from and that most of my siblings went to. The teenager was also in the marching band. My friend shared lots of photos and videos on social media. And I saw her at their annual craft fair/fundraiser. My brother was also in the marching band many years ago. They won several competitions at that time and still are top in the state. It turned out that the same drum leader that my brother had was still teaching the current band. My friend is very involved with the band and has invited people to their events. Today a friend and I went to the high school where the marching band did a short performance. They were very good, even for just beginning a new year. The kids were clearly enjoying themselves. Family members watching were making sure their student saw them and were taking videos. It brought back many good memories of the school and of my brother.

I Found God today enjoying a band performance.

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Morning Hike

Posted by eph21920 on July 31, 2025 in Creation, Friends, Fun, New, Opportunity, Weather

I have been doing a few things with a singles social group from the church. There is a lot of going out to lunch, which is not really a favorite thing of mine to do. I enjoy chatting with the people who go, but it costs money, and I would rather do something more active. The other day, one of the ladies invited me to go on a hike through one of the local parks. She and some others were going to explore and see if it might be something that the rest of the group would enjoy. That sounded much more exciting to me, so I met them at the park at 7:30 am. The weather was partly cloudy and cool, which made for interesting scenery and great for walking. All 4 of us seemed to be at about the same physical level. The pace was a little slower than my usual with a lot of chatting. But a slower pace meant we went further than my usual and were out for a couple hours without me even noticing. What I did notice was the beautiful scenery, the comfortable weather, the good company, and the fawn that crossed the road when I was driving out of the park. It was a beautiful morning.

I Found God today in a beautiful morning.

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Sewing

Posted by eph21920 on July 30, 2025 in Answer, Connected, Happiness, Past

A couple weeks ago, I went shopping and bought a couple of new shirts. I have put on a few pounds over the past year and needed clothes that fit a little better. However, I am very frugal and don’t like to spend a lot of money. I did find a couple cute blouses on “last chance” clearance. When I put them on at home, they looked huge, and I wondered what I was thinking when I got them. Of course, “last chance” meant no returns. I decided instead of donating them, I would try to fix them, even though I haven’t sewn in years. I think the last thing I did was to sew ties on a mask during COVID. The clothes just needed to be taken in a bit and I figured it was worth a try. I went into my mom’s room, asked her for help, and set up her sewing machine. Luckily, the thread was already in place. I tried on the first shirt and did my best pinning. I got it in place at the machine and started. It was like I knew what I was doing. I altered 3 shirts and I think they turned out just fine. I was surprised as to how easily I took to the machine and remembered some of those handy sewing tips. I thanked my mom for her help.

I Found God today remembering how to use my mom’s sewing machine and salvaging some clothes.

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Mary, Martha, Lazarus

Posted by eph21920 on July 29, 2025 in Answer, Bible, Death, Eternity, Faith, Grateful, Healing, Love, Miracle

Today the church celebrates the Memorial of Saints Mary, Martha and Lazarus. I read the scripture story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and watched a reflection about it. There were 2 things that struck me. The first was the shortest passage in the Bible, which is “Jesus wept”, John 11:35. The reflection explained this as Jesus entering into our pain. In the story, Jesus could have in fact stopped Lazarus from dying at all. Yet, he didn’t. Instead, he joined his friends in their sorrow and felt their anguish. To me, it brought me comfort and explained more the feelings I had when my parents were nearing death. God wouldn’t fix it, cure them, stop my grief, but at the same time I knew He was there. The second thing that stood out to me is something I have heard over and over again. Yet today it was more meaningful for whatever reason. In the same story, Jesus is having a conversation with Martha about the death of her brother. He tells her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” We will never die. Our soul – the essence of who we are – will live forever. Our life in this world is short. We can do all the things to try to live a long, healthy, happy life, but no matter what, it will end. This old yet new revelation is something that I have been thinking about. It has helped me to try to be more conscious of living my life for the things that are most important, loving those around me the best I can.

I Found God today remembering His interactions with us and grateful that He has promised eternal life.

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Back to Massage

Posted by eph21920 on July 28, 2025 in Family, Grateful, Healing

In the middle of December last year, I started physical therapy for my back. I finished in May, just before taking the road trip. Before then I had been seeing my soon to be daughter in law for massages. I have been doing my best to keep myself active and stretched for the past month. At the same time, I looked forward to getting another massage. Today was the day. My son’s fiancée had moved to a new space since last time I had seen her. It was a very nice place that held several self-care businesses all connected to a large, soothing waiting area. So, the relaxation started right away. We chatted a little before to decide where I needed most attention, then I got comfortable on the table. Like magic she found all the spots on my back that were giving me trouble. Even so, I found myself falling asleep. I felt wonderful in all ways when she was finished. I also felt blessed to have her in my life.

I Found God today in a wonderful massage by a wonderful young woman.

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Out of Comfort Zone

Posted by eph21920 on July 27, 2025 in Faith, Family, Fun, Grateful, Life, Travel

Today I went to lunch with some new friends from the church. They remembered that I was going on a road trip last time I saw them and were excited to hear all about it. Once again, as I recounted the experience, I found myself very grateful and somewhat in awe of the whole undertaking. The other day I picked up my grandson to run some errands. He said that I looked much more comfortable now driving around town. He said I didn’t have the 10:00 and 2:00 death grip on the steering wheel. I did realize that at times while I was driving on the trip – particularly on a busy highway – I was very tense. When I became aware of that, I would intentionally try to relax. I was somewhat surprised that my grandson noticed that right away and mentioned it. We talked about how great the road trip was, and I also explained that it really took me out of my comfort zone. At the same time we both said, “but that is good.” And it was definitely worth it. I was able to work through a lot of fear, guilt, loneliness, sorrow, and grief during the travels. And I would not have wanted to miss all the unexpected blessings that God bestowed upon us during our adventure.

I Found God today reflecting on what a blessing it was to get out of my comfort zone.

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