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Simple Encounters

Posted by eph21920 on February 1, 2017 in Connected, Happiness

I was out and about running errands today. Tomorrow’s weather is supposed to be cold and icy, so I wanted to get as much done as possible and get home with dinner. There were a couple instances that made me take a step back and smile. I was going into one store and held the door for a woman coming out. She had a big smile on her face. She said, “I just love it when the young cashiers call me sweetie!” It made her day. In the grocery store I made my way to the ice cream and without even thinking, reached for the store brand which is always cheaper. A woman had just closed the door in the case next to me. She said, “I have to tell you, I found this other brand on sale for cheaper. I just did the same thing and reached for the store brand, but then I saw this was on sale.” I thanked her and bought the one on sale. It made me smile because not only did I save a little, the ice cream tastes better too. The person at the register recognized me from my many trips there, and we chatted a bit like we knew each other. Maybe these seem like silly things, but these simple encounters helped me to be a little more cheery.

I Found God today in simple encounters with people.

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Lengthy Waiting Room

Posted by eph21920 on January 31, 2017 in Doctor, Patience, Stranger

I took my dad to an eye doctor’s appointment today. The morning consisted of checking in, waiting, answering questions, eye exam, getting eye drops, waiting, more extensive exam, waiting, and finally talking with the doctor. The waiting area was jammed packed full of people – mostly senior citizens – going through the same ritual as we were. It was like a little community and was interesting watching people interact. There were several pop up conversations  about jobs and children and grandchildren. People were watching out for one another, listening for names as they were called, and even gently waking those who were napping. They congratulated one another when it was finally their turn to see the doctor. The woman in the wheelchair got extra support as she was wheeled from place to place – evidently her caregiver left for the duration and would come back to pick her up later. People were comparing their diagnosis and treatments. There was a woman who had a service dog in training. She told us and those around us that she was diabetic and the puppy was learning to alert her if she was having a problem. The 5 month old golden doodle was so cute and well-behaved, but was growing impatient. The 3-hour experience wasn’t all that bad as we knew ahead of time what to expect and everyone in the room was patient and kind. As for my dad, the doctor found a couple of things that he wants to monitor – so we will be back in 4-6 weeks to do it all over again.

I Found God today in a room full of kind and patient people.

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Finally Some Relief

Posted by eph21920 on January 30, 2017 in Answer, Family, Healing

My brother has been having quite a bit of trouble with some kind of allergic reaction for almost a year now. He has tried different doctors, different remedies, different environmental adjustments, and different foods. He has received relief from time to time, but nothing that lasts. All along he has been doing as much research as he can to see what else might help. We hadn’t talked to him for a while and were very happy when he called via video chat last night. He had read an article warning that one of his medications could cause early onset of dementia if taken over a long period of time. That was not surprising, as it definitely had been affecting him – giving him a “foggy” mind – as much of the allergy medication does. He decided that he was no longer going to take it. After a few days of withdrawal type symptoms, he started feeling much better and could think clearer. My parents and I talked about it today. We noticed that he even looked better. His eyes were brighter and his smile was more real. We were so glad that he was able to make this change and that it made such a big difference in the way he felt.

I Found God today in some much-needed improvement and relief for my brother.

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Being God’s Creation

Posted by eph21920 on January 29, 2017 in Family, Job, Life, Past

Tonight my dad told my mom and I that recently he has been dreaming about mistakes he has made in his past. We talked about how different each person is and even though we all make bad decisions, there is a lot of successes. My dad has always been very intelligent and pretty strong headed and those qualities kept him moving forward in his careers – both in the military and then as a college teacher. At the same time, he always thought of the needs and desires of his family when it came time to move to his next assignment. Each of us has an impact on other people in the way that only we can and my dad has had several people come to him years later to tell him so. If he wasn’t the exact person he is, he would not have the influence on specific people. He had to be in the right place at the right time and just be who God created him to be. I hope if he has the dreams again, that he can push out those thoughts by remembering the positive effect he has made.

I Found God today recounting the blessing that my father is.

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Cooking Turkeys

Posted by eph21920 on January 28, 2017 in Family, Generosity, Life, Past

Sometimes I think I have heard all the stories my parents have to tell. Then they come up with another one that I know nothing about. As we were playing a game tonight, my mom told one such story. Her father was a baker and the family lived in the upstairs home above the bakery. For many years at Thanksgiving, people in the neighborhood would bring their turkeys to my grandfather and he would bake them in his large ovens. I thought about what a generous gesture this was. I wonder if you would find any situation like this in any neighborhood these days. My mother also told me several times that homeless people would come to the bakery at the end of the day and my grandfather would give away everything he had left. There were no leftovers. There was no waste. These stories have helped me to get a better picture of the hard-working, selfless person that my grandfather was. I am blessed to be able to hear these stories first hand.

I Found God today learning more about the generosity of my grandfather.

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Such Similarities

Posted by eph21920 on January 27, 2017 in Connected, Friends, New

Our new neighbors moved in a few months ago and we have been meaning to get together. Things finally worked out and we had the couple over today. We had seen and spoken to the wife a few times as she stayed here while her husband was tying up some loose ends in their previous state. This was the first time we were able to sit down with both her and her husband. The topic of careers came up and my dad talked about his work as a meteorologist. He also talked about research he did regarding the ionosphere. He has told me about this before, and quite frankly the whole thing baffles me. Our neighbor worked in radio and knew all about the ionosphere. He was also fascinated with weather. As the afternoon continued, he noticed the photos on the wall and realized that my dad had taken them. He was also a photographer. From there, they discussed cameras, scanners, and printers. It was amazing how much they had in common. I loved seeing my dad talk about his passions with someone who understood and enjoyed the same things. We had such a wonderful afternoon visit and I am sure it is just the first of many.

I Found God today in the similarities between my dad and a new neighbor.

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You’ve Got a Friend in Me

Posted by eph21920 on January 26, 2017 in Answer, Children, Joy, Love, Music

Today my parents and I watched the adorable viral video of the little 4 year old girl and her dad singing, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”. It brought tears to my eyes. According to the news, the video has been seen over 100 million times. Why is this video so widely popular? I think there are a few reasons. First of all, you can feel the love between dad and the little girl coming right through the screen. Second, this song is so popular and it brings people back to when they saw that new animated “Toy Story”. Third, the voice of the little girl is amazing on perfect pitch and full of emotion. Finally, I think we are anxious, frustrated, and tired of so much negativism that is being fed in our country. This sweet, innocent video holds no controversy or hateful rhetoric. It displays what we all desire – joy, love and friendship.

I Found God today in a beautiful video with a beautiful message.

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Supporting the Military

Posted by eph21920 on January 25, 2017 in Family, Grateful, Life, Past, Sacrifice

My dad and I spent some time at the Department of Motor Vehicles today to get some business taken care of. Some of the people there thanked him for his service when they realized he has retired from the military. We talked about that later on with my mom. Not so many years ago, the American public had a much different opinion about people in the military – especially those who fought in Viet Nam. Those soldiers followed orders from those in higher places and when they came “home”, they were certainly not given a hero’s welcome. In many cases they were greeted with hatred instead of acknowledging the sacrifice they and their families made. The tide has changed at this point. My dad said he very much enjoyed his military career and should be thanking the American people for their support. I suggested that be his response the next time it comes up.

I Found God today in support that encouraged my dad.

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God’s With Mom

Posted by eph21920 on January 24, 2017 in Faith, Family, Grateful, Present

I was glad that my mom felt even better today. Her friend came over as usual, but my mom was only up for playing one piano duet as opposed to several. It sounded pretty good to me. I could see her struggle, but she did what she could. I asked her tonight how she found God today. She said she was thinking about Him more than usual today – just about all day long. She said she felt that God was really with her during the entire day. He helped her continue moving on even though she didn’t much feel like it.

I Found God today as my mom was able to feel His presence during the day.

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Pain in the Back

Posted by eph21920 on January 23, 2017 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Family, Grateful, Sick, Trust

My mom was feeling pretty bad yesterday. She made it to church, but that was about it. She takes a pill once a month that is supposed to help with her bone density, but it always makes her feel bad. This was an extreme case. She was having trouble with a back ache a few days ago, and perhaps this pill exacerbated it. By night time, she was in so much pain she was shaking and she was nauseous. I wondered if there was something else going on and if she needed to be seen by a doctor. Of course, that meant taking her to an Emergicare or Emergency Room. I knew what that held and wondered if doing so would make things worse. I prayed for wisdom to know what to do as my dad and I took her vitals and did some other tests. It seemed to me that the biggest problem was the pain. My dad and I got her into bed after some pain meds and a pain patch on her back. Things started to calm down. My dad bought her a wonderful bed a few months ago, and she adjusted the head and feet to just the right angle to take the pressure off her back. As I went to bed, I realized I had done exactly what I was told earlier in the day at church. I prayed for wisdom, did all I knew to do, and trusted God as I put my mom in His hands. While she wasn’t quite back to normal today, she did feel much better. We were all very grateful.

I Found God today being able to practice what I was preached.

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