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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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Finding True Happiness

Posted by eph21920 on June 9, 2017 in Answer, Begin, Faith, Grateful, Happiness, Life

I decided to expand my reading horizons, continue learning about faith, and include something that would be uplifting. So I started reading a book by Fulton Sheen last night called, “Finding True Happiness”. It didn’t take long before the message touched my heart, beginning with the introduction. The line that was particularly inspiring to me was, “The more highly we regard ourselves, the more miserable we become; while the more lowly we regard ourselves in the light of God’s grace, the more content we become.” Once again, God provided me with exactly what I need when I need it. I thanked him profusely and look forward to continuing the read.

I Found God today as He provided me with what I needed when I needed it.

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Halo in the Hospital

Posted by eph21920 on June 8, 2017 in Connected, Faith, Friends

When I started meeting with a faithful group of women, we nicknamed ourselves “Halos” – partly because we would see each other and say, “HEY-LO!”, partly because we wanted to do some service projects together, partly because we agreed to pray for each other. Anyways, it seemed to fit. I was sad when I moved and no longer able to see them regularly. When one of the group got in a terrible car accident recently, I got updates from the others who were visiting her. One of the ladies sent a picture of a sign that read, “Halo Intensive Care Unit”. That seemed to fit too.

I Found God today in a little reminder of our connection.

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Day at the Ball Park

Posted by eph21920 on June 7, 2017 in Family, Fun

My brother is at the house here for a few days and today there was nothing on the calendar – no appointments, no plans. My brother said he would stick around the house if my son and I wanted to do something fun. When I talked to my son about it, he said there was a major league baseball game in the afternoon. So, we picked up some tickets and appropriate clothing. This morning we headed into the big city for the game. The seats were great, the weather was beautiful, and our team won the game. Afterwards, we met up with my sister and her friend for dinner. After all the activity and stress of graduation, travelling, and moving, it was so nice to spend the afternoon just hanging out and enjoying the day.

I Found God today enjoying some down time.

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People in Mind

Posted by eph21920 on June 6, 2017 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Friends, Prayer

I had a lot of people on my mind today and in my prayers for various reasons. My friend who I wrote about yesterday sent me a text early this morning saying that he and his wife were flying out to meet his mother in person. That was pretty funny as I didn’t know this was the day he was going. I thought about what an overwhelming experience this will be for him and prayed that it will be as positive as he is hoping. I thought about my friend who was in a very bad car accident and was happy that another friend let me know how she is doing. I prayed for healing – physically, emotionally, spiritually – as her mother died in the accident. I know it will be a long difficult road for her. Also, my daughter-in-law’s mother had open heart surgery today. I was glad to hear that she is doing well so far. I prayed for her healing and for a minimal amount of stress on my daughter-in-law, her family and sisters. I realized that the more I keep other people in mind, the less focused I am on myself. This helps me to be less selfish and more humble.

I Found God today in the people He put in my life to keep in mind and prayer.

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Found His Mother

Posted by eph21920 on June 5, 2017 in Answer, Baby, Connected, Family, Joy, Life, New

I got together with a friend of mine and he told me a great story. He was adopted at birth and was always an advocate for adoption vs. abortion. He would talk about it especially with his daughter’s friends and they would realize that if he would not have been born, his daughters would not have been born and they would not be a part of their life. He tried to find his mother on and off through the years with no luck. Recently, he participated in the “23 and Me” DNA testing. He reviewed the medical information and when he spoke to his non-biological sister about it, she pointed him to a section that listed people he may be related to. When he looked at that information, he recognized one as his biological last name. He was able to track down that person who was his biological cousin. That person knew my friend’s biological mother and got them connected. The first thing he said to her was “Thank You” for allowing him to have a life. It turns out that she had been trying to find him as well, but didn’t have a computer, internet, or a cell phone. She was a self-proclaimed hippie and basically lived off the grid. She had other children and had told them a few years ago about my friend. Once they connected, she sent my friend pictures that he shared with me. He sent her pictures of his daughters and their children, so she was a great-grandmother. He is planning on visiting her in the near future and meeting some of his new family that he never knew he had. Listening to the story and seeing the pictures was surreal and made me teary eyed. It was beautiful to witness the joy exuding from my friend. He is such a caring, giving person and I was elated to see him so happy.

I Found God today celebrating my friend finding his mother.

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