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Praying Against Discrimination

We seem to be living in a world of chaos. When I watch the news, I can get discouraged, angry, or even fearful. Yet, I have an ordinary life to live – things must be done, people need to be taken care of. I do my best to nurture my spirituality and be persistent in prayer, but I can wonder if I am doing anything that is making a positive impact in the culture – in the world. Today I came across an article about St. Katharine Drexel. She was the first US born citizen to become a canonized saint. She was very wealthy, but became a nun and gave all her money to helping those less fortunate – specifically those who were being discriminated against such as the Native and African Americans. This did not fare well with the KKK who was not only anti-black, but also anti-Catholic. But when the KKK threatened one of her schools, the nuns got to praying. Evidently a tornado came and destroyed the headquarters of the KKK. They were never threatened again. I know there is power in prayer. This story reminded me of that and to continue being persistent doing what I can do.

I Found God today in the story of St. Katharine Drexel.

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Born During an Eclipse

“The sky went dark. When the sun came back out again, there you were!” That is the way my grandmother explained the birth of my father during a solar eclipse in 1930. Ironically – or maybe not so much, he has spent his life watching the sky. He worked in meteorology and space science, even writing a college text book. He and my brothers are getting ready and excited to watch the upcoming “Great American Eclipse”. We had been watching all the eclipse stories on the local news, and I felt my dad’s story was top-notch. He agreed to let me share it with the local TV news stations and I was super excited when we received a response. The reporter came to the house with his camera and had a nice conversation with my dad. Not only did my dad share his personal story, he gave a lesson on the solar eclipse phenomenon. We watched the coverage last night and found the story on the internet. The station did a great job with the information and we were all thrilled. It was just another part of my dad’s legacy and I was happy that we were able to share it so easily with friends and family.

I Found God today celebrating part of my dad’s legacy.

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Woman in Distress

Today I took my dad to a doctor’s appointment. As we were waiting to be seen, an elderly woman came in who was distressed. She was almost in tears as she tried to explain why she was late. She said she had to walk over from a nearby convenience store as her car broke down. But then she also said that she couldn’t get into her car because she lost her keys – she thought she had left them at home. The woman at the desk was doing her best, asking specific questions to try to understand what exactly was happening. Finally, she told the woman that she was fine for now and to sit down and relax. I was wondering if we should give her a ride to the convenience store. After my dad saw the doctor, as we were checking out, the upset woman who was calmer by this time was sitting at the front desk. She was on the phone calling to get some help. I asked the office worker if they were able to help the woman and she said they were. I was glad to hear that. I could leave with my dad, knowing that the anxious woman was being taken care of.

I Found God today as an office took care of a distressed elderly woman.

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Clothed With the Sun

Today, the Catholic Church celebrated the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so my parents and I went to church this afternoon. One of the scripture readings was from Revelation. The book is about a vision that the Apostle John experienced. It describes, “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” This line struck me as we have been talking a lot around here about the upcoming eclipse. Of course, one of the main topics on the news is to make sure to use the proper glasses to protect your eyes and not to look directly at the sun. I thought about how God and Heaven are so far above what we can fully understand. We often think of them as being “out there” or “up above”, and scripture seems to confirm that. In any case, having faith that God does exist, as well as a place those who have left this Earth is comforting and fills me with hope.

I Found God today contemplating Heaven.

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New Aerobic Instructor?

After joining the YMCA, the first thing I wanted to try was a water exercise class. It is very early so I figured could be back in the house probably before my parents awoke. Waking up was a shock to my system, but I was determined, so I made myself move and got myself there. When I got out to the pool, I stood there for a minute trying to figure out where I was supposed to go. I saw a lifeguard looking woman talking with another lady so I went on over to them. The woman said hello and with a big smile asked if I was the new water aerobics instructor. I laughed out loud and told her this was the first time I was attending the class. She laughed also – she was the instructor. The class was a great workout, but more than that, it was fun and made up of a small community. Everyone introduced themselves and they told me about the other events that they did together. It was much more than I bargained for, but in a good way. The whole experience started the day out on a very positive note.

I Found God today in friendly and funny people.

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Honey Bees

Since we have received so much rain recently, some of the bushes around the house have flowers on them for the first time in years. The bright bluish-purplish flowers are attracting several different kinds of bees and butterflies. I have heard all about how the bees are declining in numbers, so it has been nice to see them buzzing about. My sister’s husband on the farm set up a couple of hives last year. He has been working very hard to keep them healthy and functioning. Their land is full of wildflowers, fruit trees, and new vegetable plants to keep the bees very busy. I have been wondering how long it would take for them to get any honey. Today my sister stopped by and brought us a new round of fresh eggs and veggies. And she brought us a surprise – a small jar of pure, raw honey. I gave it a little taste and couldn’t believe how sweet and delicious it was. My dad described it as it tastes like sweet wildflowers smell. That made me even more appreciate the work and contribution that bees make to the earth.

I Found God today appreciating creation.

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Their Song

Today my mom sat down to play the piano which she has not done in a few days since she has not been feeling well. She wanted to find something to sing. I was glad she felt good enough to not only play, but sing too. She started a couple of songs part way, then came across “It Had To Be You”. After playing and singing a few measures, my dad joined in. My mom said that was “their song”. Whenever they heard it our sang it, they would say, “They’re playing our song!” I thought it was very sweet that after 65 years, the song still gave them that loving connection.

I Found God today in a loving connection made with a song.

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YMCA

During the past year, I have been going to physical therapy for problems with my hip. One of the places I went to had a swimming pool and it felt great doing the therapy in the water. Since then, I have been wanting to join the local YMCA that has exercise classes in their pool. I have put it off and not joined for various reasons. I toured the facility the other day and decided it was time. Today I went and got the membership. I am very excited to start working out there.

I Found God today in the ability to begin an organized workout program.

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She Has the Answers

This evening, my parents and I watched the NFL pre-season football game. We follow our team to some extent, but not overly so. There were many new people who we did not recognize or know anything about. Each time my dad and I asked a question, my mom had some answers for us. It was pretty funny. Out of the 3 of us, I think she has the least interest. She does watch the news, but says she can’t hear most of it. That makes it even more funny as we never know what information she is going to come up with at any point in time and we don’t know where it comes from.

I Found God today in my mom’s continuous knowledge.

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A New Car

My son has been having problems with his car recently – well, since we drove it across the country to move him here. It has almost 200,000 miles on it, so it wasn’t really surprising. He was hoping to make it last until he got his student loans paid off and then look at buying a new one. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. He took it to the shop the other day and found that it would be thousands to fix. When he decided just to buy another car instead, the shop actually made him sign a liability waiver to drive it off. He found a car last night that he took home and we went to the dealership today to get the paperwork completed and turn in the old car. He drove the new car and I drove the old. I then realized how bad off the poor old car was. Even though it was only a couple of miles away, I was praying that I would make it safely. One of the brakes was metal on metal and it felt like the whole suspension was just going to fall out. I can’t even believe he drove it at all in that condition. I said a couple of prayers of thanksgiving that the vehicle got us safely across the country, and that my son was kept safe since then. It was sad to see the old car go – it served us well through high school, drivers ed, too many youth group events to count, to and from college and internships, and finally across the country. But while it was somewhat sorrowful, I was so grateful that my son had the resources to be able to get a new vehicle and that he would now be driving something safe.

I Found God today being grateful for safety.