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Smiles To Go

Posted by eph21920 on January 30, 2019 in Connected, Faith, Grateful, Joy, Life, Stranger

My dad had a test at the hospital today, so my mom and I spent some time in the waiting area. While we were there, an older gentleman started chatting. He told us how he was there to have the battery replaced in his pacemaker. About 6 years ago, his heart was in such a bad way, he was on the list for a heart transplant. The doctors inserted the device to “buy him some time”. Evidently, it worked so well that he didn’t require a transplant at all. The device is doing all the work to keep his heart pumping and now he just needed a new battery. He told us how grateful he was to doctors, technology, and God for giving him a second chance on life. He talked further about how we need each other in the world and how important it is to follow the example Jesus Christ set for us. He makes it his mission to be kind to the people he meets and to help bring them a little joy. Before he left, he held out his hand and gave me some smiles to take with me. “Share them with everyone. They are fully transferable and there is an endless supply.” He was a delight.

I Found God today in a joyful, faithful man.

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Usual Day

Posted by eph21920 on January 29, 2019 in Family, Friends, Happiness, Joy, Life

It has been a couple of weeks since my mom’s friend came over for her usual weekly visit. Things have been busy at her house and at ours. So it was good that she came over today. We all got caught up on the latest family and church news. She and my mom played their piano pieces. And we went out to lunch. In the busy-ness that happens in life, it is good to have the time to do some of the usual activities.

I Found God today enjoying a usual day with a family friend.

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His Word is Alive

Posted by eph21920 on January 28, 2019 in Answer, Eternity, Faith, Grateful, Knowledge

The completion of my first semester of the Bible Course included a test and a reflection. I also had to choose 2 scripture verses to memorize and we shared them in our small group. A couple of days ago, I was reading the daily Mass readings and one of them struck my heart:

Hebrews 4:12 “The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”

This is exactly how I have felt delving deeper into the Bible. God is changing my outlook, my faith, and my attitude. He is permeating the very depths of who I am. And that is from only 4 months of study. I look forward to each new lesson and learning more about this all powerful, merciful, gracious, loving God who I follow with all my imperfections.

I Found God today in His word reminding me that His word is indeed alive.

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Made it to Mass

Posted by eph21920 on January 27, 2019 in Family, Music, Rest, Sick

When my mom woke up this morning, she was not feeling very good at all. Her eyes were dry and painful and she could barely open them. She didn’t sleep very well and was very tired. After she took her pills, I put some eye drops in and she laid down with a warm moist washcloth over her eyes. That made them feel a little better. Then after breakfast she went back to bed. I was surprised that when it came time for Mass, she was all dressed and ready to go. On a side note – my parents had tickets to the Philharmonic this afternoon and my mom wanted to go, but didn’t feel it was right to go to a concert and not to Mass. So, off to Mass she went. We had a little time to eat lunch after church and then headed to the concert which she enjoyed. She was pretty tired for the rest of the evening. When I asked her how she found God today, she said it was in the fact that she was able to go to both church and the concert after feeling so bad this morning. I agree.

I Found God today as my mom was able to function after a bad start in the morning.

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Found the Rocks

Posted by eph21920 on January 26, 2019 in Creation, Family, Happiness, Peace, Weather

I had a couple of available hours this afternoon, so my son and I went on a little hike. I wanted to try a place that was close, but somewhere that I hadn’t been. Online I found what looked like a great option and saw photos of some pretty interesting rock formations. We set off following the directions for the trail head. When we arrived at the place described, we weren’t convinced that was exactly where we should be. I knew where the trail ended up on the other side, so we decided to start there instead. I had been on part of the trail as some ladies and I walk there when it’s nice out during my mom’s exercise class. When we reached the parking area, it was cold and windy, we were both tired, and I was questioning my decision. But, I really wanted to get outside. So, I got myself prepared and we started off. It didn’t take my son and I too long to reach the point where I had normally turned around. Even though it was basically in the middle of the city, it was quiet and serene. The wind even stopped blowing for a while and it actually felt warm. The trail zig zagged quite a bit as we made our way through the valley. At one point I chose a path that headed up some rocks. When we were almost to the top, we stopped and looked around. Right in front of us were the interesting rock formations I saw in the photo. The sun had just set behind the mountains when we were on our way out and the wind had picked up again. It became quite frigid. All in all, it was a great hike – just the right length of time and difficulty, peaceful, I found the cool rock formations, and I spent good quality time with my son.

I Found God today enjoying my time outdoors.

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Lessons on the Farm

Posted by eph21920 on January 25, 2019 in Creation, Food, Life

I talked with a woman today who said she was making a trip to the butcher this weekend. She explained that she lives on a farm and raises goats among other animals. She would be taking many of them to the butchers and getting back over 500 pounds of meat. I asked if she felt bad about taking them to slaughter. She said she did not. The male goats were raised specifically for that purpose and they were not particularly friendly. She has young sons who are learning the value of caring for the animals and providing for them so the animals will in turn provide for the family. They also had “pet” goats that would not be slaughtered that the children are responsible for. I thought about the lessons these children are learning, which are very different from most. Even though it may sound like a harsh reality, they are learning the importance of respecting nature, life, and providing for family.

I Found God today thinking about valuable life lessons on a farm.

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The Regular

Posted by eph21920 on January 24, 2019 in Connected, Relationship

As my dad and I were out and about today, we stopped at a coffee shop. There were the typical people there, a family with 2 small boys, a couple of people chatting, and a couple of others with their computers. Then an older man walked in. The barista greeted him by name. The man looked around for a bit, then approached the counter and said, “I guess I’ll just have my usual.” For some reason, this scene touched my heart. The young men behind the counter were so friendly and respectful to the gentleman. They knew him. I didn’t know being a regular was still a possibility as people come and go out of jobs so quickly. Anyways, it made me smile.

I Found God today in a friendly, knowing exchange.

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Prayer Reduces Stress

Posted by eph21920 on January 23, 2019 in Answer, Faith, Life, Prayer, Struggles

The reflection from Dynamic Catholic today was perfect:

“Connecting with God at moments of high stress induces divine power into a human situation. Prayer reduces stress and tension and also invites the Holy Spirit to increase self-control.”   Allen Hunt

I Found God today in a reminder how God intervenes with prayer.

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Ordinary Miracles

Posted by eph21920 on January 22, 2019 in Creation, Family, Life, Miracle

My mom and I were looking for a nice movie to watch tonight and came across “Charlotte’s Web”. I loved the book as a child and read it over and over again, so we watched it. The movie was cute with the talking animals and kept close to the story I remembered when I was a kid. But it surprised me that it was also thought-provoking as an adult. At one point, the mom of the little girl was concerned that her daughter was spending too much time with the animals. She was worried that the little girl had something to do with the words written in the spider web. So she had a conversation with the doctor who assured her that she was simply being a child. The woman asked the doctor if he thought the words in the web was a miracle. He talked about the miracle of the web itself and that spiders are able to create such a thing of beauty. They are not taught how to spin, it is just known and a part of their being. There were a couple of other times in the movie that made simple, yet profound statements that helped the viewer to have a deeper appreciation for the ordinary miracles all around us every day. I guess that was really the point of the story.

I Found God today in encouragement to see the ordinary miracles all around.

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Peaceful Presence

Posted by eph21920 on January 21, 2019 in Faith, Peace

I had my Bible class tonight at the church and due to an impending snowstorm, we finished up a little bit early. I took the opportunity to spend some time in the church itself. As I looked around at the sanctuary, the tabernacle, the altar, and other symbols, I realized so many connections to the Pentateuch that we have just completed reading. Then, I just sat. I prayed for a while, then did my best to quiet my mind and be aware of God’s presence there in that holy place. I enjoyed the peace and serenity of the moment.

I found God today in His peaceful presence.

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