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Home Mass

Posted by eph21920 on November 13, 2019 in Faith, Friends, Home, Priest, Sacrifice, Struggles, Trust

I have been meeting with a great group of people in a “Small Church Community” for a couple of years now. It has been such a blessing. Several months ago, one of the men was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He had surgery that was successful at removing the existing cancer. Once he recovered, he and his wife made several trips to different destinations. Unfortunately, after the last trip they discovered cancer in several new places in his body. He has been struggling with treatments and has been in a lot of pain. A priest friend of theirs offered to celebrate the Mass at their home. It was held tonight. Our small group attended and a couple of their other friends. It was intimate, peaceful, and hope-filled. The scripture readings were about trusting God, not to fear, and to know that God is love. God was certainly present there – particularly in the love shown between the man and his wife. It was a beautiful celebration.

I Found God today in an intimate celebration of Mass.

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Help From Afar

Posted by eph21920 on November 12, 2019 in Answer, Connected, Family, Grateful, Happiness, Problem, Travel

As my brother has been travelling, he has been writing a blog about his experiences from his dog’s point of view. He has actually connected with people in real life through this blog. When he arrived at his first campsite the other day, unfortunately he found a problem with the water system in his trailer. He called us today to let us know how he got it fixed. A woman that he met once through his blog lived in the vicinity. He was able to contact her and asked if she knew anyone in the area she could recommend to do the work on the trailer. She did have a suggestion. My brother contacted the person and got the problem fixed. He was very happy to have water again in his trailer, and happy to have made the acquaintance from afar.

I Found God today as my brother received help from a distant friend.

 

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Anxiety Prayer

Posted by eph21920 on November 11, 2019 in Answer, Faith, Friends, Grace, Life, Peace, Prayer

Tonight I was talking with some people about how to stay on a good path in life and keep focused on the love, mercy, and grace that God has to offer. Of course the big answer is to pray. God wants good things for us and wants to help us. He is waiting for us to ask Him. But that is certainly challenging in our busy lives that pull us in many directions. One woman said that her children call her “fanatic”, but she is OK with that. She trusts God implicitly. She even told her children that if they were to call on God and God let them down, she would stop going to church. One of her children struggles with anxiety. She suggested that when she feels overwhelmed at work, she should say a Hail Mary or even more would be better. A couple days later, her daughter reported that she took her mom’s advice. She was feeling very anxious at work, so she got up, took a brief walk, and prayed 3 Hail Mary’s as she went. When she returned to her desk, she felt peaceful. Very good advice from a very faithful woman and a beautiful example of God’s grace.

I Found God today in an anxiety prayer.

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Ode To My Brother

Posted by eph21920 on November 10, 2019 in Family, Grateful, Life, Relationship

My brother took off yesterday for his next adventure. He called when he got settled into his first camping area. My dad told him how we missed him already. While he was here, my brother helped my dad coordinate and accomplish all the repairs that needed to be done at the cabin in the mountains. He and my dad worked diligently at preserving old family audio tapes. He was super patient and could speak computer with my dad as they worked through different projects. One of the first things he did was to help get the new TV and audio system up and running. I was able to take a little vacation while he was here with my parents. We watched the new Godzilla movie together and remembered how we used to watch the old monster movies. We all enjoyed playing with and just petting his dog when she was calm. He did a lot of helpful things while he was here, but his patient and kind presence is what will be missed most. We were all grateful for the time he spent with us.

I Found God today being grateful for my brother.

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Germany Revisited

Posted by eph21920 on November 8, 2019 in Family, Food, Happiness, Life, Past, Shopping

A few of the ladies in my aqua aerobics class have told me about an old time German bakery in the city. I have asked my mom about it, but she had never been there. Today we decided to go. My mom had a couple of specific things that she wanted. When we walked into the small bakery, I remembered the shops we used to visit when we lived in Germany. Everything in the bakery was either made fresh, or imported. There was, of course, lots of fresh breads, pastries, and sausage rolls. They also had a deli with meats and cheeses. And there were shelves full of canned goods, mixes, and candies. I did my best to read the labels to my mom and she was able to understand most of the German words. I was reliving some childhood years as I remembered the German chocolate Santas and most of the candies. We picked up some bratwurst, knockwurst, and braunschweiger, side dishes, and several other goodies. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to enjoying our delicacies.

I Found God today remembering a different cultural experience.

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New Old Skirt

Posted by eph21920 on November 7, 2019 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Job, Joy, Life, Patience

About 10 years ago, I bought a skirt that I loved. I wore it often and finally the elastic gave out. I have been hanging on to it as I can’t bear to let it go. I even brought it with me when I moved years ago. Not too long ago, my mom got her sewing machine functioning again and wanted to do some projects. It took a few times of working on it and leaving it, but my mom was able to repair the skirt. It fits great and I’m so excited to be able to wear it again. She was pretty happy with herself and my dad and I were too.

I Found God today as my mom completed a sewing project.

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Responded to Reminder

Posted by eph21920 on November 6, 2019 in Faith, Grace, Prayer

At my bible class on Monday, the instructor encouraged us to say the rosary every day. I have been trying to make this happen. But, I didn’t get it done yesterday. I simply forgot. When I went to bed, I apologized to God and said that if he would remind me during the day, I would be better at it. I woke up this morning 20 minutes earlier than needed to get ready for my aqua aerobics class. Now, I don’t like waking up in the first place – much less waking up early. I didn’t want to go back to sleep as I knew it would be more difficult to wake up again. Then the thought came – say the rosary. God reminded me, I listened, and it was a great way to begin my day.

I Found God today starting my day with the rosary.

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Getting Good

Posted by eph21920 on November 5, 2019 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Happiness, Life

Things went pretty well for my brother today. He is getting ready to hit the road and head south for the winter. He got all his reservations made for his camp sites through the first of the year. He even got a job that he was hoping for at a national forest during next summer. This morning, we said a couple travelling prayers and shared Holy water from Lourdes for a nice blessing before he departed. His trailer had been in the shop having some preparation work done which was completed. My brother hitched up the trailer and headed to the cabin to get everything packed up. He was pretty excited. Although we will miss him and his dog, we were excited for him.

I Found God today in good things happening for my brother.

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Defending His Faith

Posted by eph21920 on November 4, 2019 in Answer, Faith, Life, Love, Opportunity

In my Bible class, we have been studying how Jesus interacted with different groups of people. He spent a lot of time with those who were in need of healing – both physical and spiritual. Tonight we discussed how we could imitate Jesus in our own lives. One young man talked about how his family occasionally gets together with another family who are self proclaimed atheists. He said the family is very nice, the kids get along and they enjoy each other’s company. He said that the man of the household will inevitably bring up religion and they often end up in pretty heated debates. The young man is very knowledgeable and strong in his faith. He feels that he does a pretty good job defending his faith and at the same time being an example of a loving, Christian neighbor. This was just one example of many and I was very impressed by the young man.

I Found God today in the strong faith of a young man.

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Receiving Jesus

Posted by eph21920 on November 3, 2019 in Answer, Eucharist, Faith

Today at Mass, the Gospel reading was of Zacchaeus who was a tax collector and consider quite a sinner in those days. He heard that Jesus was coming to his town and had a burning desire to see him. Since he was small, he couldn’t see above the crowd. So he climbed a tree to have a good vantage point. Jesus did indeed spot Zacchaeus and knew the guilt he held in his heart. Jesus invited himself to be with Zacchaeus that evening. Zacchaeus obliged and was converted. From that point on, he changed his way of life. Instead of taking advantage of others, he cared for them. The priest pointed out that Zacchaeus responded to Christ both immediately and joyfully. He encouraged us to think about the way we respond to Christ. Jesus is inviting Himself in to be a part of our life. We are able to receive Him in an incredible way particularly through Communion. The priest suggested we think about how we do that – in our preparation, our stance, our reception of the Body and Blood of Christ, and in our prayers. Then, do we allow Jesus to change who we are and fill us with joy? Are we converted – even if just a little at a time? Jesus wants to come to our house today. How do we respond?

I Found God today pondering receiving Jesus.

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