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Superfoods

Posted by eph21920 on June 19, 2017 in Creation, Family, Food, Grateful

Today my parents, my brother, and I got to talking about the “superfoods” – those touted to have exceptional nutritional value. Included in the list are avocados, quinoa, coconut  oil, blueberries, chia, almonds, and salmon. I thought about this and realized that many of these foods originate in different parts of the world. I wondered if God made it that way to encourage us (people) to work together and share our food with one another. Although, I have heard that if we (the world) actually did this, no one would ever go hungry. My brother had a different thought. He said perhaps God made it that way so that people in different places would have at least one super healthy food to rely on. That could be. In any case, there certainly is a plethora of different kinds of food that we here in the United States have access to. I am grateful for this, especially in caring for my parents, but it has also made me more aware of those who do not have the same luxury as I do. I remember a conversation about nutrition in one of the Parkinson’s support groups. A gentleman said he was in an assisted living facility and was basically at the mercy of those who prepared the meals. I am not sure if there is any action I can take to help the situation. Perhaps I can be more mindful and grateful for our provisions at this time. At the very least, we can share what we have with local food banks and other food drives.

I Found God today in the array of foods He has created and provided.

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Back to the Farm

Posted by eph21920 on June 18, 2017 in Creation, Family, Food

Last year around Easter time, my parents and I made a trip to my sister’s farm to see the new baby chicks they had received. Since then, we have been wanting to get back up there and see the progress, but it hasn’t worked out. Today seemed like the perfect opportunity. We went to church early this morning, then my son, brother, parents and I all headed to the farm. My other sister met us there for lunch and a Father’s Day celebration. We ate and celebrated my dad, and ate some more. We loaded up my dad with a bag full of goodies. My other brother called in, so it was nice to have everyone present. Then we went down to the chicken coop. My parents have seen the chickens on video, but now they were able to see in real life how big they are and the colors of the different breeds. My sister threw them some snacks and it was fun to watch a little commotion. Then we got a tour of the garden. They expanded it to now 3 times as big as it was last year. A lot of the plants were starting to grow and the plot looked great. We will anxiously await the first harvest. My mom said that even though she saw everything in real life now, it was still hard for her to believe the farm life that my sister and her husband chose – especially all the work they do while having full time jobs besides. I agreed. All in all, it was a great day and hopefully we will be able to visit again a little sooner.

I Found God today being able to take my parents back to my sister’s farm.

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An Old Recipe

Posted by eph21920 on June 17, 2017 in Connected, Family, Food, Past

As I was searching for recipes today, my mother’s old tin recipe box fell out of the cupboard and onto the floor. Luckily, there were only a few of the handwritten recipe cards and notes that fell out. I opened the box to see if I could figure out where they belonged, but after looking at the organized files, I decided it best to let my mom do it. I told her what had happened and showed her the loose note cards. Of course, she knew exactly where they went and started going through some of the other recipes that she said she hadn’t made in years. I encouraged her to pull some out and that we could prepare them together. Then she found a letter that her mother had written to her. She couldn’t understand why it was in there. She read the letter out loud and while there was no date on it, my mother figured it was written about 1955. It took some effort to decipher the German cursive handwriting. My grandmother encouraged my mom in her job and music. At the end of the letter, she wrote down her recipe for beer soup. Evidently my mother had asked for it during a visit. That is why it was in the recipe box. My mom was excited to share the recipe with my brother who is a beer connoisseur of sorts. He was excited to receive it. The letter brought back many joyful memories and food for thought.

I Found God today in a surprise old letter from my grandmother.

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Walk Before Heat

Posted by eph21920 on June 16, 2017 in Family, Grateful, Healing

It was another hot day today, so my mom and I went for a walk around the housing complex before noon. We came upon one of my mom’s friends, so we stopped to chat for a while. It was trash day and as we continued, the trash truck came around the corner. We figured out which side of the street he was wanting to be on, and my mom swiftly navigated a speed bump and moved along out of the way. We walked one loop that my mom hasn’t been able to do in a very long time. Now, she just does it like it’s nothing. We were very glad we went out before the afternoon heat set in.

I Found God today taking a nice walk with my mom.

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Rest or Repose

Posted by eph21920 on June 15, 2017 in Answer, Connected, Creation, Faith, Family, Life

My son and I spent the morning at the zoo today. It was very warm and most of the animals were lying about in the shade, in their pool, or sunning themselves. Only a few were actually moving about, but we still enjoyed watching them. At lunch, my son told me about the workout schedule that he is following. He has 2 “resting” days each week. But they are supposed to be “active” resting consisting of doing something – not just sitting. It would be something such as walking around the zoo for hours. In the evening as it cooled, I sat outside for a while just watching and listening to the goings on around me and smelling the flowers I planted not too long ago. Then I thought of the chapter I am reading in my book. This particular chapter is about the necessity for “repose” and I was struggling a little trying to understand it. Fulton Sheen explains that repose does not mean simply not working, or lying about such as the resting animals. It is more of an “active” rest – similar to what my son explained as he works out his body. Repose is a spiritual resting – taking time away from work to contemplate what we are doing, why we are doing it, and it’s significance. It is giving our work to God, worshiping Him, realizing that we are reflecting Him and blessing one another with our work – no matter what we do. I understood better what the chapter was about and hope to take time to repose on a regular basis.

I Found God today as I understood further what “repose” means.

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I Grow Twins

Posted by eph21920 on June 14, 2017 in Baby, Children, Patience, Peace, Stranger

When I went to the grocery store today, I got in line behind a woman with 2 small children about 4 and 2 1/2 years old. First I noticed the younger boy asking to buy a box of cereal that was nearby. The older girl said they had some at home, which was repeated by the boy many times. Then I looked at the mom and noticed she was pregnant. She was wearing a shirt that said, “I grow twins, what’s your super power?” There was a picture on her belly of a zipper and 2 little heads peeking out. I told her I like her shirt, congratulated her, and we chatted a bit. It turned out that the twins she was carrying were not her 3rd and 4th children, but her 7th and 8th. Her and her husband also had another set of twins at home. She said that at first, they were concerned that they wouldn’t have any children at all. The two children that were with her were the youngest of the family. They were fairly well-behaved, but the younger one was very busy. The little girl was doing her best to keep him corralled. And the mom seemed to be very relaxed and calm as if everything was under control. When she was finished with her transaction, the young man who bagged her groceries brought the cart out for her with the help of the girl while mom took a hold of the little boy’s hand. She chatted with the young man all the way out to the car. I was so impressed with her peaceful and friendly demeanor. I can learn a lot from her.

I Found God today in a calm, friendly, baby growing woman.

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More Letters

Posted by eph21920 on June 13, 2017 in Connected, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Joy, Life, Prayer

Today I received a full packet of letters from my far away prayer group. A few months ago, we started by writing a letter about what is going on in our life. That was forwarded to the next person along with those who also wrote. Last month I had 3 letters. This month, there was a letter from all 7 of us. They were beautiful, inspiring, and comforting to read. Many remarked how even though each of us have different backgrounds, different lifestyles, and different circumstances right now, there are so many similarities in our prayer requests. We want the best for our families, we worry, we struggle with our inability to control situations, we have a hard time taking good care of ourselves, we desire to love more and be loved totally. At the same time, each person was grateful for the things that bring them joy and the ways they saw God in their life. Reflecting on these letters and praying for each person helped me to feel connected, less alone. I guess that is what is meant by the “Body of Christ”. I could relate to each person’s struggles and felt they are really universal – things that every person wrestle’s with. And in the midst of life’s ups and downs, being grateful, having friends to pray with and to listen, and to be aware of God’s blessings is key to peace and joy.

I Found God today in a bundle of letters, prayers, and encouragement.

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New Small Community

Posted by eph21920 on June 12, 2017 in Answer, Bible, Faith, Friends, Grateful, New, Prayer

I have been wanting to connect with more people and try to make some new friends – especially those I can pray and share my faith with. A few months ago at church, a person spoke about “Small Church Communities”. These are small groups of people who meet and pray together. I contacted the organizer and was first put in touch with a group who meets on the weekends. Knowing my parents like to go to the cabin on weekends and that would be the best time to see my son, I declined. Last week I was contacted by another group who meet twice a month on Mondays. That seemed doable. I went tonight and met some of the group. We read the upcoming Gospel that will be proclaimed at Mass this weekend. We talked about what words stood out to us and what it meant to us. They were knowledgeable and thoughtful. At the end of the discussion, we prayed together. It felt great to talk and pray with them. One woman and I had so much in common it was uncanny. I was so grateful and look forward to meeting with them all again.

I Found God today in a prayer group that I met.

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God’s Loving Embrace

Posted by eph21920 on June 11, 2017 in Answer, Faith, Love, Peace

Today at church, the deacon giving the homily started out with a short meditation. He asked us to get comfortable and close our eyes. He said we should imagine ourselves asleep, then suddenly awakened by the cry of a child. I could definitely relate to that. We were then to imagine ourselves as that crying child – one who perhaps had a nightmare, was fearful, and felt alone in the dark. But then breaking through the darkness was the one who would care for us and comfort us stretching our their arms to hold us. This was the image of our loving God who is there for us when we cry out to Him. Although we cannot experience God with our physical senses, we can with our soul – with our spirituality. I imagined being embraced by God and felt His warm, peaceful, calming presence. I’m afraid I didn’t hear much of the rest of the homily, but the image and loving presence of God stuck with me all day. I hope I can remember that when I really need to.

I Found God today in His loving embrace.

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Eggs in the Nest

Posted by eph21920 on June 10, 2017 in Creation, New

About 2 weeks ago, we noticed 2 finches trying desperately to build a nest between our front porch light and the side of the house. They seemed to be having a difficult time and we found more twigs and tall grass on the welcome mat and on the floor rather than in their nesting area. But, they were persistent. After a couple of days, there appeared to be a sturdy nest. Since then, whenever we open the door the finches fly out of their new home, sit on a tree branch where they can keep on eye on things, and chirp. We have been wondering if they produced any eggs and also wondered how we might find out without disturbing them. I had an idea. I got my selfie stick and extended it all the way out. When I opened the door, the little birds flew away. I tried to get a picture inside the nest, but couldn’t get it in just the right spot. So, I turned on the video and just moved the camera slowly around. I brought it in the house and my parents and I reviewed the footage. Sure enough, we could see 4 tiny blue eggs in the bottom of the nest. It was exciting to see and will be fun to keep an “eye” on their development.

I Found God today in the beauty of nature.

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