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Recipe for Advent

Posted by eph21920 on December 1, 2019 in Advent, Answer, Begin, Faith

Today is the beginning of Advent. At church, the priest talked about all the baking we have probably started to do and will continue over the next few weeks. Many people have secret recipes that they pull out this time of year to share those special goodies with their loved ones. This caught my attention right away because that is exactly what I will be doing. He then gave us his own recipe of 3 ways to celebrate Advent well – meditation, preparation, and orientation. He expanded on each, adding his own “special seasoning” to each. The one that struck me most was preparation. In getting ready for all the Christmas festivities, I can’t forget to make the time to prepare my heart. I hope to pray each day before I start to bake away so I can be ready to share Christmas with the One who loves me most.

I Found God in the recipe to celebrate Advent well.

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Wreaths With Friends

Posted by eph21920 on November 30, 2019 in Family, Food, Friends, Fun, Laughter

Last year, my sisters and I got together with some friends and made Christmas wreaths. We had such a good time, we decided to do it again this year. My sisters and some friends came over with cut boughs, decorations, ribbons and lights. We had some snacks, put on Christmas music, and got to work. We visited, ate, and laughed a lot. Just like any artsy project, all the wreaths turned out different and all were beautiful. It was a full day of fun, food, and friends.

I Found God today enjoying my creative side with friends.

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Back to Stylist

Posted by eph21920 on November 29, 2019 in Friends, Healing, Life, Struggles

It has been 3 months since my mother has been to her hair stylist. The woman fell and hurt her arm a while back. It turns out she tore her rotator cuff and had to have surgery. My mom had her hair cut with my person while she was recovering and we were happy to have an appointment with her today. We could tell she was tired, but looked pretty well. She was moving a little slower than usual but had the same attitude and sense of humor. It turns out she was also celebrating her 5th year anniversary of being cancer free. She is a very headstrong, independent woman and her perseverance is inspiring.

I Found God today in a persevering woman.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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