Today I felt blessed to be able to take a few minutes during the day to spend with God – in prayer, in meditation, at Mass, and in the Bible. There were times when anxiety tried to creep into my mind, but these moments of spiritual rest helped me to stay at peace.
I Found God today in His presence.
Tonight my parents and I watched the movie, “Hugo” based on the book by Brian Selznick. I had never heard of it before, but came across it on TV and it sounded interesting. The main character is a boy who learned the art of working on clocks from his father. He had a talent for being able to fix things. At one point, he makes a profound statement that struck all of us.
“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.”
I thought it was a beautiful analogy of life.
I Found God today with a reminder that everyone is here alive today for a reason.
Amazingly, there was nothing on the calendar for today, so my mom decided she wanted to go shopping. She has been wanting to get some new sunglasses for quite some time now. As I thought about a place that would sell a decent product for less than the specialty store, I remembered I had seen some at Bass Pro Shop. So, my mom and I headed there this morning. Bass Pro is a store for everything outdoors and it is definitely not for those who frown upon hunting. We walked through the giant doors and were welcomed by a giant fireplace with giant sofas and chairs in front. We were greeted by mounted wildlife of all kinds. My mom’s most frequent comment was, “This is a different place.” We found the sunglasses and made our way over. She tried on a couple of pairs and quickly found one that was perfect and had everything she was looking for. Before we left, we went to the back of the store to watch the fish in the giant fish tank. As we checked out, the young man who helped us was at least 7 feet tall. He fit right in with all the giant things in the store. In all, my mom had a “different” experience and got some needed sunglasses that she’s super happy with. I was glad I thought of it.
I Found God today in taking my mom on a different experience.
In my water aerobics class this morning, we talked about our earliest memory of celestial events. I remember when the first astronauts landed on the moon. That night, I looked up at the moon and thought, “There are people there!” It was an awesome realization. I told my parents about the conversation and my mom told me about one of her earliest memories. When she was young, she looked out the window before bed and saw the stars, but one star was different. It looked like a cross shining in the night sky. She felt that God put it there just for her. So, she prayed for a long time for a little girl. When she was finished, she looked again and the cross was gone. She remembers the image clearly and has never seen anything like it since. I think she’s right – God did put it there just for her. I don’t know what she prayed about, but it must have been important.
I Found God today in a star He gave just to my mom.
My mom and dad have had birthday lunches with a group of friends for years. One of the ladies was hospitalized not too long ago with pneumonia and went through rehab. And she was present at the birthday lunch get together today. It was good to see that she was recovered and doing well.
I Found God today in the recovery of a friend.
Aristotle’s philosophy of friendship consisted of 3 kinds of relationships; Utility in which you are friendly to a person while they are fulfilling your need, Pleasure in which you are in a relationship as long as the other is giving you pleasure, and Virtue. The first two descriptions are a selfish kind of relationship. But the third is a love for another because of their sake – one wishes the good for the other. In my Bible class tonight, we read about the relationship between Jonathan and David. They had this virtuous kind of friendship so much so that they made a covenant – a pact – with one another to always be watching out for each other. Jonathan even went as far as to resign his kingly inheritance to David. He recognized that David would be the new king and wanted the good for him. I thought about the handful of relationships I have that fit into the virtue category and am so grateful for them.
I Found God today in an example of a virtuous friendship.
My sister who lives on a farm got new baby chicks the other day, so my parents and I made a trip up there today. We remembered how fast the last batch of chicks grew and we really wanted to see them at this age. They were so cute and fuzzy and fun to watch. One of them was fascinated with my sister and kept going over to her and stretching up to peek at her through the openings in the brooder. She must know who to go to for mothering. My sister does it all for them. She taught them individually how to drink from the water container, grinds their food to the appropriate consistency, and even cleans their chicken butts. The chicks were adorable and my sister was too.
I Found God today in new little creatures and my sister’s care for them.
Today I was surprised to receive a card in the mail from my aunt. The message inside included a quote from Philippians 4:19 “You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need.” It was a beautiful, encouraging, thoughtful note that was much appreciated.
I Found God today in a surprise encouraging note.
A friend has been working for years taking courses while raising her 2 young men without her husband who tragically died too young. All the while she has worked at least one job. She just completed her final paper and will earn her degree in theology. Since I met her and learned her story, she has been an encouragement. Today I read a reflection from Matthew Kelly that started, “Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can…” This woman is a beautiful example of the quote. She keeps on doing what she can do every day for herself, her children, those she teaches, and the church. She is an inspiration.
I Found God today in an inspiring woman.
A friend came over and had dinner with us tonight. We just laughed and laughed – so much that we cried, blew our noses, and our sides hurt. I’m laughing right now just thinking about it. It was therapeutic for us both. I am so grateful for this friendship and the laughter it brings.
I Found God today in laughter.
Still Finding God 