My dad has been fighting a virus now for over a week. We have all been looking forward to him getting some relief from the coughing and scratchy throat. This afternoon he announced that he was feeling so much better. He was up and about and busy doing things around the house as well. I was so glad that he seems to have turned the corner.
I Found God today as my dad is feeling better.
For the past 5 years, my younger son has been in college. He decided early on that he wanted to be on the fast track to receive his Master’s Degree. There was a time when he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to continue on that path, but he decided to stick it out. Today he had his Master’s Thesis Defense, which he had to explain to me as I didn’t know what it was. So he was in my prayers and on my mind all throughout the day. Later this afternoon I received a simple text, “Passed”. I was elated. He has worked very hard during these 5 years and accomplished much basically on his own. It has been a blessing that he has always been self-motivated. Today was also my mom’s 85th birthday. Recently it seems we have so many reasons to celebrate. And we are.
I Found God today in my son’s accomplishment resulting from his hard work.
Today I received an unexpected card from a far away friend. She is a very faith-filled woman and always has beautiful insights. Like most of us, she and her family have been through a lot. The story of how she relied on God during difficulties has always been inspiring to me. She lives her faith in everything she does as she touches the lives around her. The uplifting, encouraging card she sent me is a perfect example. She wrote in part, “May you feel God’s hand guiding your path today and the immense love He has for you.” Yes, through her words, I do feel God’s love.
I Found God today in an unexpected encouraging card from a friend.
One of the scripture readings at church today was the famous, “Road to Emmaus” story. Jesus’ disciples saw him die and leave them “forever”. They were missing him tremendously – until He showed up. Then everything changed. The deacon who gave the homily compared the feeling that Jesus’ friends had to the way we feel when we really miss a loved one such as someone in the military or a child in college. Those words hit my heart. That is the exact emotion that has been swirling around this household. When Jesus was back together with his friends, they were overjoyed and never wanted Him to leave them again. However, He was only with them for a short time before they were separated again. But this time they were filled with hope. They knew that they would see Jesus again – if not in this life, in the next. I know that I will see my children and my nephew again and I so look forward to those times. And I have faith that when we leave this world, I will see all those I love along with many others and there will be no more separating.
I Found God today in a personal connection with the Emmaus story.
I picked up my sister from the airport this evening after her whirlwind of a trip to see her son graduate from boot camp. She came back to the house and told my parents and I all about the event. My nephew had professional pictures taken and bought tons of them to share around. I will take a wallet size so I can carry him around with me. She showed us the pictures she had taken as well. She went to the airport with him this morning and waited with him until he departed for his next destination. It was difficult for them to say good-bye again, but not as hard as it was just a few weeks ago. It was just great to see how proud he is of himself, how proud she is of him, and how much joy this accomplishment has brought.
I Found God today as we continue to proudly celebrate my nephew.
Today is my dad’s 87th birthday. It is also the day that my nephew graduated from Navy boot camp. A few months ago, my dad found a picture of his father exactly 100 years ago at the same base where my nephew was. It all came together in perfect circumstances. My dad planned on attending the graduation. Unfortunately, he came down with a nasty virus. He saw the doctor the other day to make sure it wasn’t anything too serious and was doing his best to try to knock it out. However, the coughing, sore throat, and general run down feeling made him feel too bad to travel. We were all very sad about that. But, we got up early and got our computers linked up to the live feed of the graduation. My parents wore ribbons that my sister had purchased for the occasion. It was a beautiful and moving ceremony even though we were not able to pick out my nephew in the sea of new sailors. Actually, my sisters who attended were not able to locate him either. At the end of the celebration, my nephew got to spend the day with his mom and my other sister. We were very happy to get a video call from them so we could see our new sailor in person – more or less. He was beaming and clearly proud of himself for his accomplishment. His voice was strong and confident. We could see the excitement as he talked about his future – both near and far. Of course, we are all very proud of him and I got a little teary several times during the day. The whole event was quite a gift for my dad.
I Found God today celebrating my dad’s birthday and nephew’s boot camp graduation.
I took my mom to physical therapy today. Shortly after she started exercising, a woman came in pushing a woman in a wheelchair who was severely disabled. I was sitting in a chair against a wall and had a view of the whole room as I watched my mom. I did watch some of what was happening with the new people in the room as well. The therapist and caregiver were able to get the woman out of the wheelchair and have her walk a little using the walker. The therapist was giving tips as to how best to help her. They brought the woman over to the table to practice lying down and getting up. This distressed the poor woman quite a bit and she began to cry out. I wondered how someone would tell if she was crying because she was in pain or because she didn’t want to do what they were doing or if there was another reason. In any case, the caregiver spoke so gently to the woman and encouraged her to try to do the movements. She practiced holding her and moving her to different positions. I was in awe of the calm, peaceful, gentle spirit that the caregiver had. After a while, the woman calmed down and they were able to get her back in the wheelchair. As they left, the caregiver kept telling her what a good job she did. She learned some helpful ideas from the therapist. I learned a lesson on patience and gentleness from her.
I Found God today in a gentle, loving caregiver.
Today I was able to meet up with a couple from my previous home. Her parents live there and his parents live here. I found out a couple of years ago that we had this connection and it was fun to talk about it at that time. I don’t think I ever imagined that we would actually meet up here. They were out visiting his parents and brother. I was grateful that they made a couple of hours for us to connect. We talked about my previous home and the people there. We talked about kids and how they have grown so quickly. We talked about parents and how relationships change as we get older. Even though I haven’t seen them in a few years, it was as if we chatted yesterday. I felt so blessed for this friendship and to be able to see them again.
I Found God today meeting up with far away friends.
This is my nephew’s final week of Navy boot camp. My sister waited anxiously for the phone call telling her that he completed the training. He was on my mind today as well. This afternoon, I took a look at the clock and told my dad that my sister should be getting the phone call any time now. Less than 10 minutes later, she called us. “He’s a sailor!” were the long-awaited words that came gushing through the line. Of course, we are all very proud of him. I am so excited for graduation ceremony at the end of the week. Even though I won’t be there in person, I hope to watch it live streamed.
I Found God today in my nephew’s great accomplishment.
Today I received a call from a friend who was recently in a car accident. When the doctors checked her all over, they found a mass in her esophagus. Her orthopedic surgeon did not want to do surgery on her broken arm until they resolved the mass. I have been praying hard for her along with many other people – especially leading up to Divine Mercy Sunday. My friend had an endoscopy today and the doctor found that she had a hiatal hernia. There was no mass and no big concern. She was so happy and I was astounded. Ironically, I also received a letter from another friend today who has been struggling with health issues. I was very surprised to hear from her as she has been losing her eyesight. In her letter, she told me of all the way she was still able to be involved in the church. That made me pretty happy as being a part of the church community is her favorite thing to do. One of our mutual friends puts it simply, “God is good.” Indeed.
I Found God today in a good prognosis for my friend.
Still Finding God 