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Perseverance Paying Off

Posted by eph21920 on June 20, 2018 in Friends, Hope, Life, New

Tonight I had dinner with friends and talked with a woman who has been on a diet since January. She has already lost over 50 pounds. She decided to change her habits and immediately stopped eating sugar of any kind. The foods and times she eats are very specific, but she is doing a great job. When we go to dinner, she never eats the bread and easily finds something to eat off the menu. She didn’t even taste the amazing chocolate truffles I brought to share. Of course she physically feels much better too. I was so impressed by her perseverance.

I Found God today in a friend’s perseverance.

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Job Well Done

Posted by eph21920 on June 19, 2018 in Family, Happiness, Job, Joy, Life, Past

As my dad was working on his genealogy, he got into boxes and piles of his old photos. Photography has always been a hobby of his, but sometimes it was more. He decided to organize some into binders. He put together all the pictures he took while he was in college that were published in newspapers. A colleague wrote the stories and he took the photos. There was his name in the 60 year old print. He and my mom would take a walk down memory lane with each article. In the past couple of days, he has been organizing other photographs that he did as jobs including weddings, advertisements, and catalogs. I remember him working on some of them when I was younger and still living at home. We went through many of them today. I thought they were fascinating as they told of the times in which the photos were taken. My dad is enjoying pouring through and organizing his work. It makes me happy to see his joy and pride for the work he has done.

I Found God today in my dad’s gratification for his work.

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Parkinson’s Victories

Posted by eph21920 on June 18, 2018 in Life, Struggles

While my mom was at her exercise class today, I went walking with 2 other caregivers whose husbands have Parkinson’s. As we walk, we talk about the disease and how it affects our loved ones and ourselves, among other things. Today we shared some of the victories we had over the weekend. One story in particular was about one of the men who was an avid fisherman. Since he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, he has not been able to enjoy the sport. His wife said over the weekend, they went fishing. She helped tie the fly on the line and in no time at all, he was casting as he used to. He even caught a couple of fish. He said while he was fishing, he didn’t even remember he had Parkinson’s. Tonight, my mom and I watched America Ninja Warrior. One of the competitors had Parkinson’s. He admitted that he went into a deep depression when he was diagnosed as a young man. But then he decided to keep moving. He trained, lost weight, and got strong. It was amazing to watch him navigate the course. I could see the tremor in his hand even as he stopped a few seconds to get set for the next obstacle. In the interview, he said the same words – when he works out and participated in events, he doesn’t even think about having Parkinson’s. Even though he didn’t complete the course, he was victorious.

I Found God today in big and small victories as people work to overcome struggles.

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New Foster Father

Posted by eph21920 on June 17, 2018 in Answer, Children, Faith, Life, Love

When I was working in youth ministry, I met many fellow workers in the field. It was such a great group of people who had a heart for God, a heart for youth, and a support to one another. I admired them individually in the many ways they lived their faith. Today, among all the Father’s Day messages on social media, I came across a post from one of the youth ministers. In the past year, he and his wife have become foster parents and he is now “Dad” to 3 young men who are refugees from Africa. He didn’t expand on the details of their lives saying, “Their personal stories contain too much loss, suffering, resiliency and miracles to note them all here.” This morning, I was surprised and disturbed to hear Steve Bannon say, “…the Catholic church is one of the big instigators in the open borders and the pope has been driving the migrant issue…” In sharp contrast, I was in awe of this one youth minister who has taken it upon himself to make a difference in the lives of 3 young men who were in a horrible situation through no fault of their own. He said, “…no matter on which side of the aisle you reside, I ask you to contemplate that our world is in need of daddies and mommies for domestic and international children who need a physical, emotional and spiritual home, maybe it’s yours…” That is the faith I know – one that loves others best as we can, in the place we are, regardless of their situation. I was so grateful for this post and the reminder of the God I love and serve.

I Found God today in the words and loving life example of a new foster father.

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Celebrating Men

Posted by eph21920 on June 16, 2018 in Family, Friends, Fun, Happiness, Humor, Joy, Laughter, Life, Relationship

Today my sisters, son, nephew, and a friend came over to the house. We celebrated my nephew’s birthday and Father’s Day. We had a great party celebrating the men. My nephew and son told us stories of their night out and we laughed and laughed. They kind of grew up together when they were little and I loved seeing the two of them continuing their relationship as they get older. I guess there wasn’t anything specific that made it such a fun afternoon – just having everyone there happy, telling stories, enjoying each other’s company, and celebrating my nephew and dad.

I Found God today celebrating family with family and friends.

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Homemade Prayer Card

Posted by eph21920 on June 15, 2018 in Birthday, Children, Family, Prayer

I have a couple of prayer cards that I like to use in the morning, but I haven’t been able to find them recently. Today as I looked all around in my assorted piles, I came across a prayer card that was made by my nephew when he was about 6 years old. I thought it was so fitting since we are celebrating his birthday. I said the prayer and prayed for him as well.

I Found God today in a sweet prayer written by my nephew.

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Crossing to Adulthood

Posted by eph21920 on June 14, 2018 in Birthday, Family, Happiness, Life, Relationship, Youth

Today is my nephew’s 21st birthday. I have recently been going through old photos and came across several of him when he was younger. Now he is a young adult and serving in the military. I mean, I know that is what happens, but for some reason it is still hard to believe. I smile when I think of him and love when I can see him. When he and my son get together, it is like old times when we all lived together for a while. I’m so glad they continue that relationship. I’m not sure what his future holds for him, but he has made some very necessary and mature decisions and is on a good path. I’m just very proud of him and happy for him.

I Found God today celebrating my nephew as he makes the cross over to adulthood.

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An Off Day

Posted by eph21920 on June 13, 2018 in Family, Grateful, Life

Early this morning I was suddenly awakened by a loud clap of thunder. Then I heard the hail begin. I contemplated going outside and bringing my new little plants under cover. Then, I remembered a time when I tried to rescue some newly potted tomato plants during a storm. Just as I grabbed the pot, there was a lightning bolt that terrified me, so I fell and dumped the pot I was trying to save. I decided not to try it this time. I listened as the thunder and hail continued. I also heard my parents rustling about. We were all awake for a while until things calmed down. When I got up later in the morning and checked things out, I was happy to see there were only a few leaves damaged on my flowers. But the whole day was just a little off. When it was time to get my mom to exercise class, it took me way too long to get ready and she was late. She did some difficult cognitive exercises so much that at the end during the stretches, she couldn’t figure out how to change from one arm to the other. Later I went to mail a package and didn’t address it, and didn’t have my phone with the info, so I had to make another trip. My mom went to take a nap in the afternoon and slept for an hour and a half. We were both tired and kind of achy all day. Perhaps is was the new and unusual humidity from the strange overnight storm. Perhaps it was because we didn’t sleep well. Whatever the case, we agreed that off day’s help us to appreciate the good days much more.

I Found God today in a strange off day that will help me to appreciate the good days.

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Virtual Trip

Posted by eph21920 on June 12, 2018 in Connected, Creation, Family, Travel

My brother and his dog have been travelling around in his truck and trailer for a few months now. Recently, they headed up into Alaska. He shares some great pictures and videos of wildlife including bald eagles and baby owls. We are lucky to video chat with him several times a week. He will show us around his latest campground so we can see the view and tell us about the recent happenings. It is pretty fascinating and exciting to go on this virtual trip with him and we all look forward to his next call.

I Found God today in a virtual trip to Alaska.

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Changed Relationship

Posted by eph21920 on June 11, 2018 in Answer, Friends, Joy, Life, Relationship

Tonight we went to a little dinner party for a friend of my mom. It included the group of music teachers that my mom has known for years, though the number has been gradually dwindling. They still get together to celebrate one another’s birthday. The guest of honor will be turning 87 years old. Her husband died about 2 years ago and since then she has sold her house and most of her belongings and is now in an assisted living facility. She and her son have never been very close, but now he is making a weekly trip from his house in the mountains to the facility to spend time with her and help take care of her needs. Tonight she told us that her son was going to take her up to his place to spend some time there. She was so happy – almost giddy as she talked about it. She has never even seen his home. It is hard to imagine having that kind of relationship with a child or parent. But I am so happy to see that relationship change and see how much joy it is bringing to the woman.

I Found God today in a relationship changed for the positive.

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