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Set Your Sights

I woke up this morning feeling somewhat troubled. I had a dream that reminded me of my faults and failings and not so great decisions I made in the past. As I tried to shake the awareness of guilt and regret, I read a meditation that talked about the necessity of leaving the past and always moving forward. I was grateful for those words and wanted to try to keep them with me during the day. Then at church, the reading was about Jesus setting His sights on His goal and continuing to move forward. Again, I was grateful for the message. Now, if I can keep this in mind each day, that would be great.

I Found God today in the reminder to set my sights on the current situation and goal.

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Growing Flowers

I’m not a great gardener. When I lived in the Northeast, I think it was a little easier. The flowers and plants just grew because of the humidity. I have tried for the past 5 years to grow a beautiful pot of flowers. My mom and I even got an instructional video one year that we watched before going to the plant store. This year, it is truly a joy to come up the front porch. My mom and I went to our favorite greenhouse. My mom chose her usual red geranium. I just picked out a couple of things that I thought would look nice together in the pots that sit on either side of the steps. I got daisies for the back, pansies for the middle of the pot, and some vines for the front and fillers. Finally, after 5 years, I have figured out how to water them and care for them. It brings me great joy to check on them each day and see the new buds that are popping up. And my parents comment on the appearance every time they go out. I have learned a little over time, and it is nice to finally see the fruits.

I Found God today in growing flowers.

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One Tribe

I had been wanting to see the movie “Black Panther” for a long time now. Tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity, so my brother, my dad, and I watched it. Overall, through the political nuances, I thought it had a great story line. The new king desired to right the wrongs of the past instead of letting them define him. And he pushed through fear to offer help to those who needed it instead of hiding. At the very end he gave a speech and his very last words were, “We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” So true.

I Found God today in a call to take care of each other.

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Sharing Errands

This morning I asked my parents what they wanted to do or get done. My dad had some errands to run and so did my mom. My brother who is here also had some things he wanted to accomplish. So, my brother took my dad with him and I took my mom with me. We all left about the same time and returned about the same time. It worked out very well.

I Found God today sharing errands.

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Fantastic Friends

Today some friends from the northeast flew into the big city nearby. They were to meet a group of their friends for a reunion of sorts up in the mountains. Luckily, they had a somewhat early flight and I was able to meet them for lunch before they drove to their  destination. I picked them up from the airport and it was funny to see them in my state. I have seen them a few times since I moved almost 5 years ago, but it was always in their place. I had a couple people help me research good places for lunch near the place where my friends were to pick up their rental car. They had suggested Mediterranean food. The research pointed to one that we thought sounded good, so we headed over. It was on a very busy street in the very busy city. We were a little leery when we saw the storefront, but we walked into a whole different world. The place was tiny, but had about a dozen small tables set with white linen cloths. The waiter greeted us immediately and sat us. From there, we received excellent food and a couple of visits from the chef. He even brought us cake that his wife made. My friends and I had a great visit and the time flew by. We got caught up on kids, grandkids, and family. I have known them for many years and it felt wonderful and so comfortable to be with them.

I Found God today visiting with long time far away friends.

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Food Experiment Day

Every week we go to lunch with my mom’s friend. Today we went to one of our favorite spots. My brother got a new salad that he had been meaning to try and loved it. My mom got a sandwich on a different kind of bread than usual and she was very happy with it. I made some truffles and experimented with techniques and ingredients. They were great in some ways, not so much in others, but I learned more and that made it worth the effort. The kicker was at dinner. My mom accidentally put salad dressing in her bowl of chili instead of on her bowl of salad. We all laughed and she decided just to stir it in. Evidently it tasted pretty good.

I Found God today experimenting with food.

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Beat Those Stairs

We watched one of our favorite shows tonight – America Ninja Warrior. We love the stories and get excited watching the competitors beat the odds. After the show, my mom walked up the stairs with one foot at a time instead of two feet on each step. When she reached the top, she cheered and celebrated. We started chanting, “Beat those stairs! Beat those stairs!” Then she hit the “buzzer” – the big knob at the top of the handrail. She’s a warrior for sure.

I Found God today celebrating my mom’s ability.

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How Beautiful

Today at church we sang, “How Beautiful”, in reference to the Body of Christ. I love that song as it is, but while it was being sung, I looked at my mother and the words took on another meaning. Then I noticed in front of us was a man with Downs Syndrome. His mother (I’m assuming) put her arm around him and have him a squeeze. Also, a mom had her sleeping baby swaddled onto her. As she stood and rocked, she rubbed and kissed the dozing infant. How beautiful indeed.

I Found God today in much beauty.

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Long Lasting Love

Today I was very happy to be able to attend the 50th wedding anniversary party for one of the couples in my prayer group. The event was hosted by one of their daughters’ at her home. I had heard a lot about the family and seen photos, but this is the first time I met any of them in person. This daughter and her husband had 2 sets of twins and a son, giving them 5 children under the age of 5. Another daughter had a toddler. And their son had 3 young children with another one on the way. I enjoyed watching the antics of all the kids running around. The couple celebrating their anniversary were surprised at all the people who attended. Some of them they hadn’t seen for years. Photos of their wedding were displayed everywhere and those who were in attendance at the wedding 50 years ago wore buttons so they could be identified. The couple told me about the additional plans they have with the family in the next few days, so this was just the beginning for them. It was a beautiful celebration with their beautiful family.

I Found God today celebrating long lasting love.

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Decks Done

My dad and brother have been up at the cabin getting some projects done and awaiting workers to do some repairs from a big hailstorm last summer. Because of the amount of work there is to do in the area and because of the current crazy weather we have had, the contractors are all running behind. They have put off doing the work on the decks for a couple of weeks now, promising a date, then changing it. My brother let us know this morning that the workers had arrived. There is a camera at the cabin that streams the pictures on the internet every couple of minutes and it overlooks one of the decks. My mom and I had fun viewing the pictures every now and again. We could see the guys working, then they would disappear. This evening my dad called. He said they had completed all the work on the decks that needed to be done. We could hear the relief in his voice. It was a big worry lifted off his shoulders.

I Found God today as a worry was lifted from my dad.