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Trust in Him

Posted by eph21920 on April 23, 2017 in Answer, Faith, Homeless, Jesus, Life, Mercy

In church today, we had a guest priest who works with some of the poorest of the poor. He told the story of how this came to be a part of his life. He was very comfortable in his role as a parish priest and enjoying his life. A friend asked him to go to Haiti with him to “celebrate” his anniversary of his ordination. The friend worked there and wanted the priest to see what he did. The priest went somewhat reluctantly. On his first day there, he was serving food. Some people had been waiting in line for a good deal of the day as this was likely the only meal they would receive. Some had bowls or containers for their beans and rice. Others simply held out their hands. One child in particular touched his heart. This child held out his empty can. The priest filled it with barely half a scoop of the food. The boy covered the can with his hand and started to walk away. The priest asked where he was going. The child said he was taking it home to share it with his family. The boy, his mother, and 5 siblings lived in the makeshift city located in the garbage dump where they foraged for food. The plight of this young child forever changed the direction and life of the priest. He even asked God why he had brought him there and what could he do when there was so much need. He was only one person. But, he acknowledged that what he wanted – what we all really want – is to be able to make a real difference in the lives of those around us. To be able to serve those who are most in need, forgotten, abandoned, hopeless. The priest started working with the charity and has never looked back. His story brought to mind people I know who have come to a crossroad in their lives, trying to decide what it is they should be doing next. Today is also Divine Mercy Sunday when Catholics remember the amazing grace God offers to us and realize that we can – and should – trust in Him.

I Found God today in a beautiful testimony of faith.

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The Big Party

Posted by eph21920 on April 22, 2017 in Family, Friends, Fun, Life, Love, Marriage

The big day finally arrived. My parents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with a party at the house. My sisters and brother came and together we prepared all the food and such. I had asked my younger brother, who lives furthest away, if he was going to come. He gave a vague answer that made me suspicious. I asked again until he finally told me that he was coming, but wanted to keep it a secret. That was hard, but I did it. When he walked in the house, everyone was shocked. It had been 5 years since all my siblings and parents had been together. My sister made my parents a photo album of the cruise we all went on to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary. It was fun to remember such a great time. My mom’s sister and nephew came over too. Then the guests began to arrive, including some friends they hadn’t seen in years. The comment I heard most often was how good my mom and dad looked. They did look good and had a wonderful time. I was so glad they decided to have this party.

I Found God today being with friends and family as we celebrated my parents.

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Sisterhood

Posted by eph21920 on April 21, 2017 in Family, Grateful, Happiness, Life, Love, Past

My mom’s sister and one of her son’s were able to come celebrate my parent’s anniversary. When they were at the house today, my mom got out the beautiful scrapbook she made of her family. It included photos and stories of her parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives. My mom and her sister reminisced and each talked about their memory of certain events. It is such a blessing that they are able to spend this time together.

I Found God today seeing my mom enjoy being with her sister.

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The Perfect Woman

Posted by eph21920 on April 20, 2017 in Answer, Family, Marriage, Relationship

We have been doing some Spring house cleaning lately. A few days ago, one of the companies took away the area rugs for a thorough cleaning. They called this afternoon to come by and return them. My dad met the workers at the door and told them of the anniversary party coming up. When they asked how long he had been married, he proudly told them 65 years. They responded like most, “That’s a long time!” My dad acknowledged that it was a long time with one woman. Then he told them that if they met his wife, they would understand why – that she is the perfect woman for him. I thought that was such a sweet thing to say. My mom was napping at the time, so unfortunately, they did not have the privilege of meeting the perfect woman.

I Found God today in the love of my dad for my mom.

 

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65th Anniversary

Posted by eph21920 on April 19, 2017 in Family, Life, Love, Marriage, Past, Relationship

Today marks the day that my parents have been married for 65 years. We talked about what their wedding day was like. My mom and her girlfriends all got dressed and ready at my mom’s house, then made their way over to the church. My dad and his guys got ready separately and met at the church. I asked my mom if she had doughnuts from the family bakery before she put on her wedding dress. At that time, it was a practice to fast 24 hours before receiving Communion, so no one ate breakfast. The ceremony in the church was in the morning as was customary. I asked what was something that stood out. My mom answered that when her father walked her up the aisle and gave her hand to her husband-to-be, she remembered wondering what was going on in his mind and how he must have felt at that time. She also recalled that her brother sang. She became teary eyed as she recounted those moments. After the church ceremony, The wedding party had a brunch together. The wedding reception and dinner were held a little later at the hotel where my dad worked part-time. They danced the night away until midnight. Since then, there have been good times and bad, financial struggles and wealth, sickness and health. And they have stuck with each other through it all. I have the blessing to witness how this loving committment benefits their life long relationship through their later years. They have taught me and continue to teach me about love and life. I am extremely grateful to have them as my parents.

I Found God today celebrating my parent’s wedding anniversary.

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Shopping Spree

Posted by eph21920 on April 18, 2017 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Shopping

Today I took my mom on a little shopping spree. She had ideas of what she wanted to get and how much she wanted to spend. It was an exhausting couple of hours for her, but she got just what she was hoping for and spent exactly what she was anticipating. We were both very grateful.

I Found God today in a rewarding shopping spree with my mom.

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Petal Dance

Posted by eph21920 on April 17, 2017 in Creation, Joy

When I opened the garage door the other day, I noticed what looked like white confetti all over the floor. As I looked closer, I realized it was petals from the nearby tree that had bloomed. I was able to take a little walk today and took in the signs of Spring. Many trees had little green buds on them that shimmered in the sun. The crabapple trees had bloomed in pink and white flowers. I took in a deep breath to enjoy their fragrance. There were also many flower petals that had already come off. In some areas, they covered the ground and swirled all around together in the wind like a well orchestrated dance. It was beautiful and somewhat mesmerizing to watch. I just smiled.

I Found God today in the signs of Spring.

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A German Feast

Posted by eph21920 on April 16, 2017 in Family, Food

My mother is of German descent. She spoke German and English in her household growing up. When we lived in Germany for a few years, she was invaluable as she helped us to communicate with the residents. She also has a couple of delicious German dishes that she used to prepare. When my brother-in-law was in the military, he also spent some time in Germany. He learned how to make some of the food and has been “threatening” to cook schnitzle for my parents for a while. A few days ago, he said he would come and make it for Easter. My parents have been looking forward to it all week. Today he and my sister brought over all the necessary ingredients and tools. They even purchased a new device so they could make homemade spatzle. He sent me a recipe for red cabbage that I prepared so I could do my part as well. The meal was delicious. We all talked about when we might have the next German feast and already planned on what we could add.

I Found God today in my brother-in-law’s consideration for my parents – and in his delicious cooking.

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Baby Giraffe

Posted by eph21920 on April 15, 2017 in Baby, Creation, Life, Miracle

This morning I checked social media and saw that April the giraffe was finally actually having her baby. I know people who have been keeping a vigilant watch for weeks now. I was surprised when I heard my mom got up early for no apparent reason. I told her about the giraffe and asked if she wanted to watch it. She did, so I found the live stream on her iPad for her. It was only about 10 minutes later when together we watched the birth of the baby. It was quite an amazing sight to see. We left the video on and watched it from time to time during the day. We watched the little guy get to his feet and steady himself after many tries. We saw him find his way to his first meal and even jump and run a little at only a few hours old. After a while, you could see him nose to nose with his dad, even though there was a little partition between them. The dad seemed quite pleased as well as he leaned over and gave mom a couple of giraffe kisses. Watching a new life come into the world truly is miraculous. And we appreciated that our timing this morning worked out in that way.

I Found God today seeing  a new life enter into the world.

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The Red Sash

Posted by eph21920 on April 14, 2017 in Connected, Faith, Family, Friends, Grateful, Jesus, Lent, Prayer, Sacrifice, Struggles

My parents and I went to the Good Friday celebration at church tonight. Upon entering the building, I noticed several people wearing a thin red piece of cloth that hung over a shoulder or around their neck like a scarf. One of the greeters caught my attention and asked if I would like one. She explained that the sash represents our struggles, sacrifices, and burdens. She said when it came time to venerate the cross, I could take off the sash and lay it at the foot of the cross. I said I would be glad to have one. My parents were way ahead of me by this time and already seated. When I joined them, I explained what the cloth was for and asked if they wanted one. They did, so I retrieved a couple for them. The priest elaborated on it just before the veneration of the cross. He said that people have the red sashes because of the burdens they are carrying. He went down a whole list of struggles and a couple of them really hit my heart. At the end of his list, he said we are bringing our burdens and laying them down at the cross for ourselves and for those who are not present. When Jesus died on the cross, he carried all of our struggles with Him. They used one large wooden cross for the congregation to venerate, so it took a while. We were in the back row, so I had a lot of time to listen to the music and contemplate. I thought about all the people I would bring to Jesus. I thought of all my friends and family – those who are struggling with illnesses, loneliness, job loss, family issues, loss of a love one, those who have faith and those who do not, those who brought themselves to Jesus and those who could not or would not, and all those I promised to pray for. As I bent down to kiss the cross, I placed the red cloth in the pile at the base. My mom was unable to stand in the long line and make her way down to the front, so my dad laid down her sash along with his own. I went back to my seat and knelt in prayer. As I did, I could almost hear the words, “Your burdens are mine now.” I felt an incredible sense of love and gratitude for me and for all the people I brought to Him.

I Found God today bringing my burdens and other’s to the cross.

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