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Be Love

Posted by eph21920 on October 1, 2025 in Answer, Faith, Love, Sacrifice, Saint

Today is the Memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux – the “Little Flower”. I watched a movie about her a couple of months ago and learned more about her today. She was only 15 years old when she convinced the authorities to allow her to enter the convent. She was incredibly humble and knew that she couldn’t do great things as compared to the saints. However, she wanted to be a saint, so offered up every sacrifice and act of charity as a scattering of flowers of love. Being so young and small, she worried about her vocation within the cloistered life and wrote: ” I feel in me the vocation of the Priest. I have the vocation of the Apostle. Martyrdom was the dream of my youth and this dream has grown with me. Considering the mystical body of the Church, I desired to see myself in them all. Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was burning with love. I understood that Love comprised all vocations, that Love was everything, that it embraced all times and places…in a word, that it was eternal! Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love…my vocation, at last I have found it…My vocation is Love!” Pondering her statement, I thought about how discouraging it can be to be immersed in the current state of world. I often feel that the politics of the day and decisions made are far above me and there is little I can do to make a difference. However, if I take St. Therese’s words to heart, I can also love. That may look different depending on who you are, but for me loving is being fully present to those around me, to offer what I can to those who need help, to touch base with friends, family, and those who are struggling, and to be kind to myself. I think each person can find a way to love and the world would be a much better place.

I Found God today in encouragement to love.

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Be Kind

Posted by eph21920 on September 30, 2025 in Answer, Life, Love

I saw a quote from one of my favorite Christian artists, TobyMac, that read “There’s a stranger out there who still thinks of you because you were kind to them when they really needed it. Never stop being that person.” I thought those were beautiful words to live by. It reminded me of a t-shirt that I bought myself a few years ago that says, “BE KIND” in big, bold letters. I actually got it to remind myself. I figured when I walked by a mirror, I would remember and change my attitude if necessary. I think I should have lots of shirts with different messages of encouragement to wear every day.

I Found God today in a reminder to be kind.

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Michaelmas

Posted by eph21920 on September 29, 2025 in Angel, Faith, Grateful, Prayer

During the past several weeks, I have been listening to and praying with Hallow’s St. Michael the Archangel series. The last 9 days have been dedicated to a novena to St. Michael led by Fr. Ambrose Criste from the St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, CA. He often mentioned how the church was built and oriented in such a way that the altar would be glowing with the sunlight streaming through a window. It was perfectly aligned on this day – the Feast of St. Michael and the Archangels. The resources in the Hallow app included a link to the Abbey’s website to watch the livestream of the event. I wished I could see it in person, but watching the video of the celebration was stunning. At the beginning, the sun streaming through the multicolored window was on the floor and congregation. It gradually moved to the center and then directly onto the altar, which seemed to be almost too bright to look at. The prayers led by the priests and seminarians were beautifully chanted. With the back doors open for the procession, it was equally spectacular. I was glad I had thought of taking screenshots to look back and remember the event. As with all Catholic celebrations, the entire goal was to lift up our attention, our senses, and our souls to the beauty and love of God. This particular experience also called upon the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel to help us do so. I felt a sense of completion and peace and was glad I was able to see the awesome celebration of Michaelmas.

I Found God today in the beautiful celebration of Michaelmas.

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Speed of God

Posted by eph21920 on September 28, 2025 in Car, Connected, Creation, Faith, Happiness, Life, Miracle, Priest

This morning after breakfast, my brother hitched up his camper, fastened his dog in his truck, and left for the winter. He is heading to Arizona but will stop at beautiful sites on his way. After he left, I cleaned up the cabin a bit and enjoyed the fresh mountain air and scenery before I packed up. I was happy that it was just the right timing for me to attend Mass in the little mountain town not too far away. The priest there is so friendly, relevant, and down to earth. He talked about being able to recognize miracles. I agreed when he said that we are so busy going from this event to that commitment, that we aren’t even paying attention to what is going on around us. He suggested we slow down to the “speed of God”. Evidently, he introduced the concept last week as the regular congregants were able to finish the sentence. He explained that when we live our lives at the speed of God, we become more aware of everything that is happening. We notice nature, the flowers, birds, weather, as well as other people. We can have compassion, see their needs and perhaps act on it. At the same time, we will recognize God’s movements in our own lives and in the lives of others. Answered prayers, healings, safety, relationships, care when we needed it. This requires us to slow down and pay attention. He also said it took him a very long time to drive to the church this morning as he was amongst the traffic of people going up to the mountains to see the changing aspen leaves. He said they were all moving at the “speed of aspen”. I enjoyed his remarks and remembered them as I drove home in the line of leaf-peepers. It did take quite a long time, but I didn’t mind as it gave more opportunity to view the beauty of the season.

I Found God today in the idea of slowing down to the speed of God.

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Happy Dance

Posted by eph21920 on September 27, 2025 in Creation, Family, Grateful, Happiness

I was blessed to spend another beautiful day in nature at the cabin. It seemed like every time I went outside there were more and more  aspen leaves turning from their summer green to their autumn yellow. My brother, his dog, and I took a long walk. He showed me a quiet little spot off the main road that he liked to explore, saying there was always something new there. Not too far into the area we were greeted by a deer who trotted into the thicker stand of trees where it stood and watched us watch it for a while. The trees were so tall and the contrast between the dark evergreens and the white trunks of the changing aspens was stark. When the wind blew, the leaves shivered and some of the yellow ones rained down upon us. The fallen leaves were interspersed in the dark brown soil and bright green ground cover. There was beauty all around. My brother’s dog was so happy that she did her “happy dance”, which is basically running around in circles until she gets out of breath. She is getting old, so to see her acting like a puppy again was pretty joyful. My brother spent a good part of the day packing up his camper and getting it all ready as he will start his travelling season tomorrow. I was grateful to spend this time with him.

I Found God today spending time in nature with my brother.

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Aunt’s Recovery

Posted by eph21920 on September 26, 2025 in Connected, Family, Grateful, Healing, Life

Today I called my aunt as I haven’t spoken to her for a while. The first thing she said was that she was thinking about me as she was falling asleep last night. She told me that she had a stroke at the end of June. She was in the hospital for about a week, then had in-home nurses for several weeks. My aunt has always been a very head strong woman, and she was very happy when she was freed from the care as she said they were too strict. As she approaches her 90th birthday, she reminded me of a conversation she had with my mom – her sister – when she turned 90. Neither of them could believe that they were so old. Both of them spoke of how time goes so fast. Good food for thought. We caught up on events and I told her about my son’s wedding. She sounded great and was remembering things from specific years that I didn’t remember. The only residual effect from the stroke was that she was physically weak. She knew she had to walk more, but her house is on a hill so she can’t walk outside and inside the space is too small to actually get some distance. But, she said she would try to do more. I was grateful for her recovery from the stroke and thought it was pretty amazing. It was so good to talk with her and our chat left us both uplifted. I told her I would do my best to visit her soon.

I Found God today connecting with my aunt and hearing her recovery.

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Safety, Trust, and Beauty

Posted by eph21920 on September 26, 2025 in Creation, Faith, Family, Grateful, Life, Trust

Yesterday I took a drive up to the cabin. The weather was just perfect – sunshine, blue skies, and some of the leaves on the Aspen trees were just starting to change. I took my time getting things ready as I planned on staying a couple of days. By the time I left, it was late afternoon. The lighting made the scenery even more beautiful. I stopped along the way at a hiking spot that I had been curious about. It was very peaceful and serene as I walked along the rolling meadows surrounded by evergreens with just a hint of yellow here and there. Before I left, my family urged me to “drive safe!!” I did, but also made the trip having a new sense of trust that God has my life in His hands. When I arrived, my brother made dinner and we chatted as we watched the sunset. It was a beautiful day.

I Found God today trusting more in His Divine Providence.

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God Spared Me

Posted by eph21920 on September 24, 2025 in Car, Grateful, Life, Miracle

After my son got married and now has the support of an amazing wife and her wonderful Christian family, I have been telling my siblings that God could take me home with Him any time now. Today, instead of doing that, He spared me. I was out driving this morning and had come to a stop light. I was in the left most lane of a double left turn. When our left arrow turned green, I looked to see exactly where the lane went across the busy street I was turning onto and accelerated. Just before I made it through the intersection, over my left shoulder I saw the front grill of a giant white pickup truck heading straight for my door. He had blown the red light and was coming right through the intersection. Somehow, I don’t know how, he didn’t hit me. I heard him slam on his brakes and saw him hit the back end of the truck next to me also turning left, which spun around. He also hit the front end of the car directly behind me. Then I saw people getting out of their vehicles. It took me a few minutes to collect myself, breathe, and realize the scope of the situation. I spoke to the police department and gave them my information. My destination was actually the Newman Center where I would be volunteering for a couple of hours. When I arrived, I told them my story and promptly went into the chapel where I spent a good amount of time thanking and praising God. I was so aware that my life could have been taken, or at the very least greatly altered, in that split second. It was a scary, miraculous, humbling reality check. Instead of thinking that I am ready to go, I vowed to simply leave that up to God and live each day doing what I feel He is asking me to do.

I Found God today as He spared my life.

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Home From Honeymoon

Posted by eph21920 on September 23, 2025 in Family, Fun, Grateful, Happiness, Home, Life, Love, Marriage, Travel

This evening I made the drive to the airport and back to pick up my son and his new wife. They spent several days in Germany seeing the sights and attending Oktoberfest in Munich. They shared some photos in an online album during that time. They fit right in with their German attire and were obviously enjoying the festivities. By the time I picked them up, they had spent about 12 hours travelling. They were exhausted and hungry. We stopped so they could eat something and they told me about some of their adventures. Then they slept for the rest of the hour drive home. I went in for a moment when we got to their house. It was full of wedding things and gifts to sort through as a reminder that they begin a new life together. They brought me back a little music box that plays “Edelweiss” and a magnet from one of the castles that they toured. It was so thoughtful. They had a great time and were happy to be home.

I Found God in fun and safe travels for my son and his wife.

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Race Team Dream

Posted by eph21920 on September 22, 2025 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Happiness, Joy, Life, Opportunity

I printed some photos of the wedding and put them in a little book to show them to people. I figured it was easier than passing my phone around. As I was showing them to some friends today, we talked about my grandchildren and what they were doing. I shared that my older grandson had been wanting to work on race cars pretty much since he was born. He has been pursuing that dream for a couple years now, applying for positions and meeting race teams face to face. And he has been travelling so he can watch races in person. Right now he is in NH. After I got home from my friend’s, my son told me I needed to talk to my grandson, so I gave him a call. I could tell in my grandson’s voice that he had some exciting news. He was overjoyed to tell me that he had received a job offer from a race team owner that he had been in contact with. They had been communicating back and forth a little until things when quiet. My grandson was not at all expecting this offer. He had already accepted it and is now figuring out how he can make the move. I was so happy for him and elated that this dream of his may actually come to fruition.

I Found God today in my grandson’s lifetime opportunity becoming reality.

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