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Five Year Change

Posted by eph21920 on November 22, 2017 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Home, Joy, Life, Relationship, Struggles

Today at my aquatic aerobics class, people were talking about how they have changed in the past 5 years. One person said they learned more about who they are. One said they are more patient. One who retired a few years ago talked about how they are now OK with not being busy every second of the day. I told them we would need the entire class time for me to say how I have changed. That is mostly due to the drastic change of lifestyle. Three years ago I quit my job, sold my house, sold or gave away almost all of my belongings, left my children and grandchildren, and moved across the country to be with my parents and care for them. I, too, have learned much more about myself, I am trying to be more patient, and I have definitely had to slow down. I am constantly learning more about human physiology and illnesses. My relationship with my parents has always been good, but I have had to learn about them as they are right now and how to balance being a daughter and a caregiver. I could go on. As I look back during this time, a lot has happened for sure and I do not know where my parents would be had I not come. So, while it has been difficult, we are currently celebrating one year hospital free. My parents are still able to live and thrive in their own home and do the things they enjoy doing. And that brings me joy.

I Found God today realizing the blessings and outcomes of the past few years.

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Timely Problem

Posted by eph21920 on November 21, 2017 in Answer, Grateful, Problem, Stranger

Yesterday my dad and I went out to run some errands. Our first stop was the post office. I let my dad go in to take care of his business while I sat in the car and waited. I put the radio on, laid the seat back, and closed my eyes for a few minutes. When my dad returned, I tried to start the car, but it just made a clicking noise. I turned everything off and tried again. A few clicks and a red lit battery symbol on the dash was all that happened. I popped the hood and my dad went to open it. As he was trying get it open, a man toting 4 young children came by and asked if he needed help. My dad explained the situation. The man just happened to be parked next to us. He got all his children in the car, then proceeded to give us a hand. My dad got out the jumper cables and the man got them connected. Thankfully, it didn’t take much of a charge to get our car started. We thanked the man and I commented on his perfect timing. He said he was glad that he was there to help. We got the car over to the shop where they replaced the battery. Today we made a short trip to the cabin in the mountains and had a wonderful drive with no problems. Although it was annoying to deal with the battery issue yesterday, we were very grateful that it happened then and there instead of up in the mountains. That would have been very difficult.

I Found God today in a timely problem that was resolved.

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Having Courage

Posted by eph21920 on November 20, 2017 in Generosity, Grateful, Life, Trust

Today, one of the men in the Parkinson’s exercise class was sharing bits of his life story. He is from England and became employed with British Petroleum when he was young. He was bored with his job, so they offered him a higher paid, more dangerous job in underwater exploration that was located in the Middle East. That sounded more exciting to him and understanding the potential hazards, he accepted the position. Ironically, he met his wife during his employment there. Jumping ahead many years, after he and his wife were married they started having children. They moved to New York for another job offer he received. They had a baby and only a few dollars in their pockets, but they made a go of it and all worked out well. He talked about how important it is to have courage to do things that seem scary at the time. He said fear would rob a person of making potential life changing decisions. At this point in his life, he says he can look back and have no regrets for the choices he made.

I Found God today in an example of living courageously.

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Generous Strangers

Posted by eph21920 on November 19, 2017 in Answer, Connected, Family, Food, Generosity, Stranger

Today my mom, dad, and I went to church then our usual spot for brunch. It was very busy as always on a Sunday. After a while, some spaces cleared out and new people came to fill them, including 3 young women Air Force cadets. I was pondering buying their meals for them, but just before they received their food, another young woman came to their table and placed a piece of paper on it. She said it was for them, thanked them, and left. One of the cadets turned over the paper and read it out loud to the others. It said that it was from one graduated woman cadet to the others. She had paid for their meals. The girls carried on about how generous that was and took pictures of the note. I was getting teary eyed and tried hard just to concentrate on eating. When we were finished, the waitress came over and told us that our meals had already been paid for. I couldn’t believe my ears. I could see the girls listening to what was happening now at our table. My dad inquired further and she said it was done by the people who were sitting at a table behind me. I did not see who they were before they left. That was pretty amazing. Once in the car, I told my parents the story of the young cadets. We went home joyful and my dad said he thought maybe there is hope for this world after all.

I Found God today in two instances of generosity from strangers.

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Young Hero

Posted by eph21920 on November 18, 2017 in Children, Doctor, Grateful, Healing, Life, Sick

My mom and I went to the monthly Parkinson’s Support group this morning and sat with some people we had not met before. That is part of the beauty of the group. While the people experience the same disease, it plays out a little differently in each. It is interesting and enjoyable talking to, learning from, and being encouraged by others. One of the ladies told us about her grandson who is now 7 years old. He is celebrating 1 year of being cancer free. His symptoms started as a pain in his knee. His mother chalked it up to growing pains. But when he was in too much pain to get up one morning, his mom knew it was serious and took him to the doctor. He did an x-ray and sent them immediately to the children’s hospital. The boy had a massive tumor on his kneecap. He had bone cancer and ended up needing an amputation just above the knee. His is now awaiting a prosthetic leg. At just 6 years of age, the child made decisions for himself that would impact the rest of his life. According to the grandmother, he has remained cheerful and positive through the whole ordeal. He even nicknamed his leg, “shorty”. She said he is their hero and I could see her husband well up with tears. She said they are looking forward to having everyone together for Thanksgiving. It was a touching story.

I Found God today in a brave boy who is thought of as a hero.

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Couldn’t Blink

Posted by eph21920 on November 17, 2017 in Answer, Doctor, Grateful

Going to the dentist is perhaps the thing I dread most – it’s hard for me to open my mouth wide, or for very long. Today’s visit was torturous as anticipated, but was a pretty funny story as I look back on it being fully functional. I am very sensitive to any medication. At one dentist visit many years ago, I had a bad reaction to the numbing shot that I received. My heart raced and I was literally shaking for a long time. After that, the dentist told me I should not have a shot that contained epinephrine. I relayed that to my current (new) dentist and after much discussion, he began the new crown procedure with a couple of shots – without epinephrine. There were 3 women in the room besides the dentist. One was his assistant who I met before. One was very knowledgeable and experienced. One was an intern and still learning. After the first round of shots took effect, the dentist came back in to check how it was working. I was somewhat numb, but had the sensation that I couldn’t blink with one of my eyes. He put a couple more shots in, which intensified everything. My left eye was definitely not blinking. He took a look as did the girls. They all agreed. He explained that the facial nerve is very close to the jawline, and sometimes it gets numb. One of the girls asked the other if she had ever seen this happen. She responded with a quiet, but audible, “No…”. Then I got worried. I wondered if he hit that nerve, if I was going to have permanent damage to my eye. He jumped in and said it would go away when the anesthesia started to wear off. He asked if I was OK. I said that I wasn’t really – I couldn’t blink my eye. He asked if I wanted to continue with the procedure. I said I did because I was already there and already numb, but my eye was dry. They all tried to find some eye drops to no avail. So, we agreed to just begin. As he was drilling away, I would need to stop every now and then to rest my jaw and manually “blink” my eye using the tip of my finger. I must have been quite a sight. About halfway through the procedure, I started to be able to blink again. I was so relieved and able to calm down somewhat. I was glad when the whole thing was over. I think everyone was. I told the story tonight while my parents, son, and I were playing games and we all had a good laugh. It’s funny now that there was no long term damage done.

I Found God today in a dentist experience that turned out OK.

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Twins Perhaps

Posted by eph21920 on November 16, 2017 in Connected, Love, Relationship, Stranger

I took my mom to a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. As usual, I looked around the waiting room and took notice of who was there. I try not to stare, but I do like to people watch. Sitting near us was an older couple. The more I noticed, the more I realized they looked almost identical, even though it was a man and a woman. They both had their hair trimmed very short and it was the same darkish, grayish mix. They were both wearing similar glasses, the same kind of blue polo shirt, blue jeans, and white and blue tennis shoes. I wondered if they were a married couple, or if they were actually twin siblings. While they were seated, a doctor came out and talked to them. They got up to leave and held hands. My mom noted how cute they were. I don’t know their relationship, but I do know they clearly and openly shared their love for one another.

I Found God today in a cute, loving couple.

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Electric Eel Party

Posted by eph21920 on November 15, 2017 in Birthday, Children, Fun, Life

Today I talked with a young woman whose son celebrated his 5th birthday over the weekend. She said he asked to have an electric eel themed party. She wasn’t quite sure where it came from. I thought that was hilarious. She looked on social media and couldn’t find any ideas for decorations and such. But, she and her husband used their own creative talents and made an electric eel cake, decorations, and games. I thought it was pretty great that she went with the difficult theme instead of trying to talk her son out of what had piqued his curiosity. I’m sure it brought him a lot of joy. And I’m sure they will talk about electric eels and the mom’s efforts for years to come.

I Found God today in a caring mom.

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Birthday Whirlwind

Posted by eph21920 on November 13, 2017 in Birthday, Family, Friends, Fun, Grateful, Relationship

It has been a whirlwind of a couple of days. It started when my oldest son from the east coast showed up at the house on Saturday completely by surprise – to me. On Sunday, one of my sisters, my sons, and I went to the big football game. We got there early to partake in all the festivities going on before the gates even opened. There were tons of tailgates and we spent quite a bit of time just checking out all the different vehicles and ways people celebrated being a fan. We shopped a little, supported the food tents, played some games, and watched the football players walk into the locker rooms. There was a trailer that held the Heisman Trophy and a couple of authentic football jerseys. Even though the game itself didn’t exactly go our way, we had a really fun time. After getting home late last night, today stated out early. My other sister spent the night to be with my parents while we were at the game. I got up bright and early to see her off as she headed to work. Today was my actual birthday, which was hard for me to believe after celebrating for two days already. I received lots of happy birthday wishes and spoke to family and far away friends. The neighbors even stopped over for a while. It helped me be more appreciative of the relationships that I have. All in all, it has been a wild, wonderful couple days of celebrations.

I Found God today in a fun birthday that helped me to appreciate the people in my life.

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Family Surprise

Posted by eph21920 on November 11, 2017 in Family, Fun, Happiness

I am not easily surprised. I am usually pretty keyed into what is happening around me and with the people who are close to me. But, I have to hand it to my family today. A few months ago, we bought some tickets to a football game out here hoping that my older son would be able to travel from the northeast and join us. However, it wasn’t working out for him to do so. I begged and pleaded for a while, then invited a friend to come to the game and take his ticket. I talked to him a couple of days ago and we planned to do a family video chat this afternoon. My sisters and other son were coming over for an early birthday celebration, so that would work out great. I got the text from my younger son that he was on his way over. Then I got the text from my older son to video chat. I connected with his family and was talking with his wife and kids when they all started singing “Happy Birthday” to me. At the end of the song, I heard the front door open and the voice of my younger son singing as well. But when I looked over, it was my older son standing there. It took me a few seconds to process before I realized it was really him. Then I screamed like never before and ran over to give him a huge hug. My sisters were in on the whole scheme and even had talked to my friend about it before I offered her the ticket so she knew what was happening. She played along as well. My daughter in law and grandkids did a great job of hiding it too as they watched my reaction from the computer. I had no idea. None. I was completely taken off guard. It was an elaborate scheme and I was shocked that they would go through all that trouble just to surprise me. I was feeling pretty special indeed. We laughed all evening and I am so excited for the big game.

I Found God today in an amazing surprise from my family.

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