This evening I was searching through the TV channels to see if there was a Christmas show on when I heard my mom start playing Christmas music on the piano. After a couple of moments, my dad started singing. In a little while, my mom joined in as well. I thought there was nothing better to hear.
I Found God today as my parent’s made beautiful music together.
My mom had her final physical therapy appointment this morning. She has had another amazing recovery in 4 weeks from a very painful episode of sciatica and bursitis. As we have driven back and forth, we noticed a particular drive through coffee shop always had a huge line. We thought we should try the drinks there some day. Then we thought what better day than today. Surprisingly, when we drove in, there were no other cars. We pulled straight up to the window and told the young woman this was our first time visiting the place. She cheered and told the other 3 young people in the shop who also cheered. We placed our order after some discussion about what it was that we actually wanted. As we waited for our coffee, the girl chatted us up pretty well. We told her this was my mom’s last therapy appointment and we were celebrating by trying this place that looked to be so popular. She was prepared with other conversation starters such as, “If you could only listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life, what would it be?” My mom chose classical of course. When we got our drinks, we also received 3 punch-cards that only required 1 more punch for a free drink. As for the coffee, my parents liked their usual brand better. But the experience was second to none.
I Found God today in a very positive experience at a new coffee place.
My brother called this afternoon to check in. He has been on the road traveling for over a year straight now. We talk to him a couple of times a week to virtually travel with him as he keeps us up to date on where he is, what he is doing, and what he plans to do next. This afternoon, he told my mom that he was planning on coming back this direction in the upcoming Spring/Summer. My mom got so excited. She said just this morning she was praying that he would come back. That is a pretty fast response.
I Found God today in His fast response to a mother’s prayer.
The other day, a friend and I were talking about how necessary it is to have a positive attitude. “Happiness is a choice,” she said. She went on to give examples of people in her life who made themselves miserable mostly by focusing on the things they were struggling with. That was the topic of conversation, or complaining, or choosing not to engage in life. Today’s Gospel reflection from Bishop Robert Baron was right on target. He said in part,
“… you have everything you need right now to be happy. What makes you happy is always right in front of you because what makes you happy is love. Love is willing the good of the other, opening yourself to the world around you. Love is not a feeling. It’s an act of the will. …”
I thought the sentiment was timely.
I Found God today in a timely message about the choice to be happy.
Our “place” in church is near the entrance, just past the doors, near the Baptismal font. The rows of chairs there are easy to get in and out of and are more comfortable for my mom than the pews a few rows further up. The font is a quite elaborate 2 tiered large fountain. The upper level is just the right height for adults to reach and they use this for the Baptisms. It runs down to the lower basin which is level to the floor. The children love that it is easy for them to touch. From our usual “place”, we see a lot of commotion. This morning, a woman came in with 5 children and sat in the back row of pews. The youngest toddler was quite active, constantly moving and chattering. At one point, the woman took the baby and the next child in line out to the restroom. When they came back in, the little boy got away from her and headed straight into the Baptismal font. He actually climbed in. The mother reached him pretty quickly and got him out. There were many gasps from the people around. I thought I should go help her, but one of the ushers sprang into action and helped her get the 2 little ones out the doors. When they came back in, the little boy had his pants rolled up and his shoes were on, but the socks were not. In the mean time, the other 3 kids didn’t seem to worry. The rest of the Mass, I watched the mom continue to try to keep the 2 young ones in line. I remembered the stories my mom told me of her taking us 5 kids to church. I figured both my mom and the woman were receiving extra blessings.
I Found God today in a persistent mom and a helpful usher.
Today my mom and dad were able to get out for a walk before the weather turned too cold. In the complex where we live, the street is a large circle that goes to each home. At the other end of the complex are the mailboxes. When my parents reached the halfway point, my mom stopped while my dad continued on to check the mail. She was to stay put and wait for my dad. But, she decided to take a little look around. So when my dad returned, she wasn’t immediately visible. He called out, “Honey!” and she went over to him. She remembered the story of when she was talking to a priest friend on the phone and was asking my dad a question and called him honey. The priest said he thought it was so sweet that my parents still called each other honey after all their years of marriage. And that was about 20 years ago!
I Found God today as my parents continue to show their affection for one another.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw that one of the local florists was having an event that included making a Christmas wreath. I asked my sisters if they would be interested. One sister told me that she knew how to make them and had supplies to do so. She even used to host classes at one time. I had never known that before. So, we decided to make wreaths at the house. A couple of days ago I collected a huge bag of limbs from the trees at the cabin. When my sister and brother in law came over yesterday, they had even more. Today we got everything together and covered the entire basement with plastic. Some friends came over and we got to work. I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, But with her help and a little patience, I made a couple of wreaths with the fresh boughs. it was great fun.
I Found God today in fun with friends and family.
Each Thanksgiving is different from the next. My sister brought her computer over today and we took a trip down memory lane as we looked at pictures from previous holidays. We talked about and remembered the good and the bad memories that came from each one. As I thought about this, I realized that every past experience plays a part in making up the person who we are. The experience, but mostly my response to that is what drives me forward – or back. It takes a conscious choice and work to keep moving in a positive direction. So, I am thankful for the twists and turns in my life. They have all taught me lessons and helped me grow in faith and hope.
I Found God today remembering past experiences.
We made a quick trip to the cabin today. This morning, the weather forecaster said the sky would be clear all day long. He was right. The further we went into the mountains and the higher we went in altitude, the sky just kept turning more blue. It was noticeable and vibrant. Occasionally we would see an airplane here and there creating short contrails, but they didn’t even last long. I thought about the vastness of the sky and if you go high enough, it eventually turns black as you would be in space. And space goes on forever. It is mind boggling to think about. So, just for today, I enjoyed the bluest, clearest sky. It was just a thing of beauty.
I Found God today in the amazing blue sky.
The other day when my mom was at physical therapy, her therapist told us about the “Friendsgiving” she had. She bought a house earlier this year and was excited to have room to host a Thanksgiving dinner for her friends. She said it was a great success. Everyone brought different foods and had a great time. Tonight, we had dinner with our neighbors. They said they wanted to get together just to give thanks before we all got too far into the business of the holidays. We had a wonderful meal and a very nice visit. I think it is a blessing to take time to be with friends.
I Found God today in the blessing of being with friends.
