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Double Happy Dance

Posted by eph21920 on July 8, 2019 in Dog, Friends, Happiness, Joy

My brother was getting ready to take his dog for a walk this evening and invited my mom to go along. When they returned, they said that one of the neighbors was outside so they stopped to chat a bit. The woman’s husband died a few months ago and she said she was getting along. My brother’s dog was so happy to make a new friend, she did her “happy dance” – basically running around in circles like crazy. I guess it was quite the show. Later tonight, when my brother took his dog for her before bed walk, they went past the neighbors house again. The dog had to stop and wait to see if her new friend would come out. She did not. But that didn’t stop the dog from doing another “happy dance”. I guess she really like the woman. She is an amusing dog.

I Found God today in my brother’s amusing dog.

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A Miraculous Healing

Posted by eph21920 on July 7, 2019 in Answer, Doctor, Faith, Friends, Healing, Miracle

Today I visited my neighbor who came home from the hospital yesterday. She was happy to sit outside on her porch, breathe the fresh air, and feel the warm breeze. She told me about the first time she had a hospital stay several years ago. At that time, the doctors wanted to do surgery. But she knew the potential consequences as she had learned about her condition, and did not want to have the surgery. She and her husband tapped into their faith community and had a lot of people praying for them. She started healing and was able to go home in a week. The doctors could not believe that she had recovered without the intervention. She said it gave her an opportunity to talk with them about her faith and God. Evidently, they agreed that it was nothing short of miraculous. Thankfully, even though she was in the hospital for longer this time, the condition was not as severe.

I Found God today in a story of miraculous healing.

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Effective Prayers

Posted by eph21920 on July 6, 2019 in Answer, Faith, Friends, Healing, Sick

Our neighbor has been in the hospital for almost 2 weeks now. We have had her husband over a couple of times for dinner and good conversation. We have also been praying for her. Last night my mom got out the prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes and the holy water. We said the prayer for my parents, my friend who was treated for cancer and is technically in remission now, and for our neighbor. This afternoon we received word that the neighbor was to be discharged as she continues to slowly improve. She arrived home this evening. That was very good news.

I Found God today in effective prayers to Our Lady of Lourdes.

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Keep Laughing

Posted by eph21920 on July 5, 2019 in Answer, Family, Humor, Laughter, Life

Communicating around here can be difficult with the hearing loss both my mom and dad experience. Also, with my mom’s Parkinson’s disease, her voice has become very quiet and she has to work hard to speak in her “loud voice”. Many times during the day there are repeated phrases, misunderstandings, and dare I say yelling. We do all try to be patient, but we are only human after all. Case in point: It was a stormy, rainy evening tonight with lightning, thunder, and even a little hail. After dinner, I offered my mother some dessert. The words were, “Would you like some pie?” She was surprised and responded, “You’re going to sit outside?!” We all had a good laugh and remembered how important it is to keep a sense of humor.

I Found God today remembering to keep laughing.

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A Different 4th

Posted by eph21920 on July 4, 2019 in Connected, Faith, Family, Food, Friends, Life

To prepare for this year’s 4th of July and knowing that my mom, dad, and I would be at home, I wanted to find ways to make it a little festive. I looked up celebratory red, white, and blue recipes. Most of them used strawberries, which my mom cannot have. There were also the basic fruit salads using watermelon, but I wanted to do something a little more creative. Finally, I came upon a pie with blueberries and cherries in sections topped with stars and stripes pie crust. I’m not really a great pie baker, but that’s what I settled on. I made it yesterday and it turned out great. This morning my parents put on their “Navy Grandma” and “Navy Grandpa” t-shirts to appreciate my nephew and those in the military. I shared the quote from Thomas Jefferson that all men are created equal . . . I so wish everyone would agree to this one thing. I was happy to chat with my son’s family. My granddaughter showed off her wonder woman dress and told me about the clowns at the local parade. I thought that was funny because her mom is terrified of clowns. For dinner, I made a full basic BBQ meal – barbecue chicken, coleslaw, beans, and corn on the cob. Then of course, the pie served on stars and stripes plates. Our neighbor’s wife has been in the hospital, so we invited him over for the holiday meal. He was very happy to partake. He and his wife are devoted Christians and we got into some pretty deep discussions. I love how people can connect on a spiritual level. When we talked about God in our lives, even when there were no words to describe the experience it was understood. There’s really nothing like it and I was grateful for the conversation. Tonight, we heard fireworks all around, but could only see those that were on the TV news. It was a different, interesting, and enjoyable holiday.

I Found God today celebrating Independence Day.

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Located

Posted by eph21920 on July 3, 2019 in Answer, Family, Prayer

This morning my brother headed up to the cabin while my dad stayed here to get some things accomplished. Unfortunately, he couldn’t locate a paper that he needed with pertinent information. He took a break to have lunch and we prayed that he find the paper so he could stop searching and move forward. Right after lunch, my brother called from the cabin. My dad told him what he was looking for and my brother located it right away. He had brought the paper to the cabin. That was a timely answered prayer. I love how God cares about us, even in the small things.

I Found God today as He helped my dad located important information.

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Back To PT

Posted by eph21920 on July 2, 2019 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Healing, Life

Yesterday, I shared a blog from a woman I chanced across a while back. We seem to have a couple things in common. I also found a caregiver’s group on social media that she moderates. People share their experiences caring for their loved ones, many of them caring for parents. It is always encouraging to read, share, and pray with and for the group. Taking my mom to physical therapy today, I became keenly aware once again of her stamina and determination. She asked her doctor about going back to therapy due to the pain in her knee. The therapist, who has seen my mom off and on for about 3 years now, got busy right away to pinpoint the problem and work on the area. I wondered how many other 87 year old ladies make requests such as this and then make the effort to improve their condition. In any case, I am grateful that she can and does do everything she can to help herself function. And I am again in awe of her perseverance.

I Found God today witnessing my mom’s perseverance.

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Unhand the Cheerios… — Life on the Road Less Traveled

Posted by eph21920 on July 1, 2019 in Children, Connected, Faith, Grateful, Joy, Life, Love, Relationship

Both kids were scheduled to work this morning, so we went as a family to the five o’clock Mass at St. Pius. It was the first time we’d gone there together — gorgeous church, lovely organ music, and the homily was short, sweet, and … a little crunchy. The priest observed that every parish in America sweeps up at […]

via Unhand the Cheerios… — Life on the Road Less Traveled

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Set Your Sights

Posted by eph21920 on June 30, 2019 in Answer, Faith, Grateful, Hope, Jesus, Past

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

Posted by eph21920 on June 29, 2019 in Creation, Family, Home, Joy, Knowledge

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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