My mom is still struggling with sciatica pain, so instead of going to All Saints Day Mass, we decided to watch it on EWTN. As soon as we turned on the TV, a prayer came on for those with Parkinson’s Disease. We said the prayer and were teary eyed at the end.
I Found God today in a timely prayer.
As my mom was resting yesterday, my dad found some small portable cassette players and got them working. He found some tapes to play and one of them was a recording of my mom playing the piano about 30 years ago. That is when she says she was at her best. My dad got the tape out and played it for her today. I thought how sweet it was that he recorded it way back then and equally how thoughtful that he wanted to comfort her in this way. Unfortunately the quality wasn’t great and with her hearing loss on top of it all, my mom had a hard time identifying the music. After, she told us about the Master’s Music Class she took from a special guest who was in the city at the time. The professional helped my mom work through one of the pieces that was on the tape. She had a great music teacher who she saw regularly. But, she pointed out, no matter how good someone is, there is always more to learn from another person. They come at it from their own experience, with their own personal perspective. I think that is true in every occasion. We just need to be humble enough to admit and accept that.
I Found God today in my loving dad and my mom’s words of wisdom.
My poor mom has still been in a lot of pain. I called and left messages with 2 of her doctors and the physical therapist this morning. I had some questions and was looking for more help to try to alleviate some of her suffering. One at a time, they each called back and each of them showed concern. I was able to get all my questions answered, got her a new prescription, and an expedited therapy appointment. I was very grateful for all the help and I think we’re all feeling a little more hopeful.
I Found God today in caring and helpful medical people.
The day we returned from the cabin, my mom’s back, hip, and leg started hurting. She has been in a great deal of pain, so we went to see her doctor today. He feels it is a pinched nerve and took some x-rays to check further. Tonight after dinner, she was able to make her way down the stairs to watch our favorite Monday show – Dancing With the Stars. She sat on the new reclining sofa they bought about a month ago. She got out the wand remote and was able to move the seat to just the perfect angle so it didn’t hurt. We were very grateful for this timely purchase.
I Found God today in a comfortable seat for my mom.
At church this morning, the children’s choir performed a song before Mass started. I loved listening to and watching them. They were so exuberant. When they finished, the younger children went to sit with their families. The older children stayed in the choir area. To my surprise, they participated in the entire Mass. Not only did they lead all the music, they also read the scripture. It reminded me that the Catholic Bishops have been meeting and discussing the importance of youth in the life of the church and how to help lead them to their vocation. Perhaps this was the parish doing their part. I don’t really know. But I do know that they did a great job and it was so joyful.
I Found God today being filled with joy from seeing the children involved in the Mass.
We spent another day at the cabin today and put the birdfeeders out just as the sun was rising. There were birds already visiting the deck wondering where the food was. We once again enjoyed the activity and antics of the birds as they flew back and forth from trees to feeders. And we were amazed at the record breaking 8 species that came in just the few hours that we were there. The list included the Stellar’s Jays from yesterday, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Pygmy Nuthatches, Juncos, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, a Gray Jay, and an Evening Grosbeak. Luckily, my mom has a great bird book and years of experience identifying them. But my parents said they had never seen so many different birds all coming at the same time. I didn’t want to stop looking as I didn’t want to miss something new. When it was time to go and my dad went out to retrieve the feeders, the birds in the trees seemed to be scolding him. Hopefully they had their fill for the day anyways, and will find another source.
I Found God today again appreciating nature.
We made a trip up to the cabin today and put out the bird feeders as soon as we arrived. The first to notice were two Stellar’s Jays. They are really too big for the feeders and usually clean up the ground after the smaller birds. But they must have been hungry, because they were determined to get their fair share right away. They each had their own method of getting the seeds out. One of them we called the “lander”. He managed to land on the short feeder pegs and bend his head over far enough into the hole. But he also tried a couple different things. He hung on sideways like a woodpecker and balanced himself by putting his tail under the feeder. At one point he also hung upside down just long enough to stick his head in the hole below him. The other bird we called the “jumper”. As you may have guessed, he jumped. He stood on the railing of the deck just below the bird feeder and flapped and jumped just high enough to put his head in the hole and grab a seed or two. I think he was expending more energy than he was receiving. At times, the jumper would watch the lander and try to replicate his moves. But he couldn’t quite seem to get the hang of it. He would try to land on the short pegs and just end up falling off and flying away. They were altogether comical and we were very entertained for quite some time. Eventually the smaller birds realized what was going on and took over. From then on, the jays had an easier time just cleaning up the ground.
I Found God today being entertained by birds.
My mom had her appointment with the neurologist today. This is the second time she has seen him after our long struggle trying to find someone we trusted. He was very thorough and followed up with everything we talked about from the first time. He tested her and found that she has even improved some in her balance from 6 months ago. He encouraged her to keep exercising and doing what she is doing. It was good news and we again were so grateful that we found this doctor.
I Found God today in good news from a new trusted doctor.
Today my parents and I made a trip to the bank so they could make some adjustments to their accounts. We were there way too long. But, while we were there, we got in a political discussion with one of the employees. It was a thoughtful, respectful, considerate conversation – not at all like the crazy talk shows on main stream media. It left me hopeful for our country and the other people that I share it with. Then tonight I went to a prayer group. A woman there shared a prayer for the election. It was a beautiful prayer that was unbiased and not for or against a certain any certain party. I will certainly be saying the prayer regularly.
I Found God today in a hopeful outlook for the upcoming election.
My mom’s friend came over this morning and told us about The Great American Read hosted by PBS. For 6 months, people have been able to vote for their favorite book. The results would be revealed on the show tonight. So, my parents and I watched the program. It went through the list of titles in order from 100 to the #1 Best Loved Novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”. While the list was diverse, the most shared comment was that the story took you on an adventure and brought a sense of hope. I remembered reading books to and with my kids well into their junior high years. I always loved sharing that time and then talking about the characters and events in the story. There was much to learn from the books and from one another. I’m not a very good reader now, but the program inspired me. We’ll see.
I Found God today sharing a sense of joy through books.
Still Finding God 