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Passing of Beloved Priest

Posted by eph21920 on March 23, 2018 in Death, Faith, Music, Priest

Today I received an email from my church announcing the death of a priest who has been serving our parish. He was retired, but was present quite a bit recently as we are without a pastor right now. My parents and I were very surprised as he was there at Mass a couple of weeks ago. We knew his health wasn’t perfect, but there was no indication that he was near death, so we are not sure what happened. We talked about how we would miss seeing him. We loved his homilies. Many times, he would invite us to close our eyes and use our imagination as he guided us through a meditation. Sometimes, his homilies consisted of only a few, powerful, thought-provoking lines. His words always gave us food for reflection and discussion. A couple of times, he would start the “Hallelujah Chorus” and the congregation would join in. The last time we heard this, he completed the song with the longest lasting “Hal-le . . . lu . . . . jah . . . . . . . . . . ” that I have ever heard. I also had the opportunity to see him for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. His soft-spoken, kind, calm, holy demeanor brought me such peace. He will be missed by us and by many. I suppose now his Hallelujah has reached perfection as he sings in the company of the angels and saints and in the presence of God Himself.

I Found God today remembering a beloved priest.

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Get To Cleaning

Posted by eph21920 on March 22, 2018 in Family, Home, Opportunity

I got up bright and early this morning to get ready for the carpet cleaner to come. I picked everything up off the floor that I could. The guy was running a little late, so I cleaned the bathroom. He showed up as we were finishing lunch and got to work. It was very mild out so we were happy to open the doors and windows. When he left, I figured I should clean the hardwood floors, so I did that. Then since I had dinner in the crock pot, I decided to clean windows too. It was such a nice day to start spring cleaning.

I Found God today feeling good about getting things cleaned.

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Forgiveness Wins

Posted by eph21920 on March 21, 2018 in Answer, Forgiveness, Healing, Hurt, Music, Tragedy

Today I read a beautiful story about a young man who wanted to start a singing career, so he moved to Tennessee. Right after that, he was hit by a car and left paralyzed. He thought his life was over along with the career he wanted so badly. However, he forgave the person who hit him. Evidently, she had a history of mental illness and substance abuse. The woman was overcome by guilt. When her day in court came, the young man sent his father over to tell her that he would be ok. He wanted to make sure she knew that. They communicated with one another until they could finally meet in person. At that time she realized she really was forgiven and forgave herself. The young man worked hard rehabilitating and is able to walk with assistance. He actually auditioned for American Idol and won the hearts of the judges. It is a beautiful story. You can find the story here and the audition here.

I Found God today in an inspiring story of forgiveness.

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Made Me Happy

Posted by eph21920 on March 20, 2018 in Fun, Joy, Music

Last night, my son and I went to see the movie, “The Greatest Showman” inspired by the life of P.T. Barnum. If you haven’t seen it yet and want to, spoiler alert – – you may not want to keep reading until later. I didn’t know much about the movie before I went, just that it had to do with Barnum and the circus. It wasn’t a biography by any means, but was an upbeat story with feel good music. The movie received mixed reviews, which I understand. But I feel in this particular moment, people need non-threatening, non-offensive entertainment, if only for 2 hours. There were also, in my opinion, some good messages and quotes such as, “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” “You gave us a real family.” and, “The noblest art is that of making others happy.” It was a nice little escape for a little bit and I did leave happy.

I Found God today in an entertaining movie.

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Mom Found God

Posted by eph21920 on March 18, 2018 in Answer, Faith, Family, Fun, Laughter

As I was thinking about what to write tonight, I asked my mom where she found God today. We chuckled a little, because she had a really difficult time at Mass this morning. She struggled to find the readings, couldn’t find the songs in the hymnal, and couldn’t hear the priest. There was also a child making a commotion during pretty much the whole celebration and that was all she could seem to hear. By the end of Mass, she was pretty frustrated. This was all highly unusual for my mom. So, we chuckled a little and went about the business of getting nighttime medication sorted. Then we both went to get ready for bed. Soon, I heard her calling. She said she was thinking about where she found God and said it was having a good time this evening. My son came over for dinner and then we played a game. It was fun and lighthearted. I was glad she had given it some thought.

I Found God today as my mom thought about where she found God today.

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Yesterday’s Tomorrow

Posted by eph21920 on March 17, 2018 in Answer, Family, Laughter

The other day when my mom went to the neurologist, he tested her cognition. One of the “brain teasers” he gave her was: If today is Thursday, what is the day before the day after tomorrow? And then the other way: What is the day after the day before yesterday? She really struggled with those until he broke them down a little. Yesterday, we spoke to my sister who said she would be heading home from a trip today. When my mom got up this morning, she said she knew my sister would be going home today because today is yesterday’s tomorrow. We were all amazed and laughed hysterically.

I Found God today in my mom displaying her analytical capability.

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Funny Dad

Posted by eph21920 on March 16, 2018 in Baby, Humor

Today I was out and about during a very busy time of day. As I was sitting at a stop light, I noticed the driver in the vehicle behind me shaking his head around like he was head banging to music. Then he turned around looking towards the back seat. I was curious as to what was happening so I kept watching. He did the same thing again. He shook his head vigorously, then turned to the back seat. This time I saw him laughing and reaching behind the passenger seat. I figured he had a little one in the back seat and was entertaining them. It continued for the duration of the stop light. The sight made me laugh and distracted me from the busy traffic.

I Found God today in a funny day entertaining a child.

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Finally Found Physician

Posted by eph21920 on March 15, 2018 in Answer, Doctor, Family, Grateful

Today we finally got my mom in to see a new neurologist. We had seen and heard him a couple of times at the Parkinson’s support group. He spent a good amount of time with her asking questions and doing tests. We came armed with some questions, but he answered almost all of them without us even having to ask. He even answered some questions that we didn’t know we had. Most of all, his confidence and knowledge of Parkinson Disease gave us confidence in him. He said we were on the right track, doing the right things and gave us additional suggestions. We felt very reassured when we left. After a year and a half of searching, we finally landed the right doctor and are very, very grateful.

I Found God today finally getting the right doctor to treat my mom.

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Neighbor’s Faithful News

Posted by eph21920 on March 14, 2018 in Answer, Doctor, Faith, Friends, Grateful

Today in celebration of pi day, I made an apple pie and we had our neighbors over. They told us that they had been struggling the past week or so as the husband’s sister was in the hospital. She was found unresponsive in her room in the senior living building. The doctors had been working hard trying to figure out exactly what the problem was and how to treat her without being too invasive. They did find a couple of issues, but felt there was some type of infection. They reached the point where they felt they had done all they could. The plan now was to move her to rehab and hope she would be able to recover. The neighbors said that it was all in God’s hands and they were trying not to worry and just take one day at a time. They trusted in His plan for her life and theirs. As we enjoyed our pie, they received a message from the sister’s family who was with her. They had just received word that the doctor found exactly what type of infection was present in the woman’s body. So now, she would be treated with the specific antibiotic that should make a huge difference in her recovery. That was great news and the neighbors were overjoyed.

I Found God today once again in His perfect timing.

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Surprise Blessing

Posted by eph21920 on March 13, 2018 in Faith, Stranger

My mom, dad, and friend went to lunch today. Before we left, my mom and I made a stop in the restroom. As we made our way to the front door to exit, we could see my dad and friend outside talking to a stranger. We wondered what it was all about. By the time we went out the door, the man had gone on his way. When we reached the car, the man drove by and waved. Once in the car, my mom and I asked what the story was. My dad and friend were standing outside talking when the man approached them. He commented on what a beautiful day it was. They agreed. The man said how lucky he felt to live in such a beautiful place. He told my dad and friend to have a blessed day and went on his way. Of all the scenarios that could have happened, the blessing was such a nice surprise.

I Found God today in a man who shared a surprise blessing.

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