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First Job Offer

Posted by eph21920 on January 5, 2017 in Answer, Family, Job, Joy, Opportunity

My son will be graduating from college this May. He will complete 5 years of classes, studying, testing, projects, working, and internships. He has been in the process of looking for a job and interviewing as he searches for the right place to begin his new career. He called today and eagerly told me about his first official job offer. He was so excited as he explained the details. I wished I could have jumped through the phone and given him a big hug. After we hung up, I told my parents the news. All three of us were teary-eyed as we talked about how hard he has worked to prepare himself for his future. And that future now is right around the corner. It was a moment to be especially proud of the young man he is becoming and to share in his joy.

I Found God today in the joy of an opportunity for my son.

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The Vision

Posted by eph21920 on January 4, 2017 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Love

My sister works at a natural foods distributor and always brings us some interesting and yummy treats. The other day we cracked into a “Chocolove” peppermint in dark chocolate bar. It was delicious. When we had finished the bar, my dad discovered a poem on the inside of the wrapper. It was called, “The Vision” by Alexander Pushkin. As all poetry goes, I suppose, it could mean different things to different people. To me, the poem spoke of a spiritual encounter along with the open-mindedness and awe of youth. As years go by, the wonder fades and we are left battling the ups and downs of life. But then, there is again a hint of something more than ourselves and we have the opportunity to re-connect with the spiritual realm. Perhaps this is the writer’s intention, perhaps not. Regardless, it was much more than I expected to find on the wrapper of a candy bar. It touched my heart and gave me reason to ponder.

I Found God today in a poem that connected me spiritually.

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Reducing Meds

Posted by eph21920 on January 3, 2017 in Answer, Doctor, Family, Grateful

My mom had an appointment with her neurologist today. She had been seeing the PA for the past 3 years and we didn’t really feel we were being helped, so we were glad that she finally got to see the doctor himself. She has had so many medical issues since she last saw him and we got him caught up on everything that happened. We talked especially about how these things caused the Parkinson’s Disease to worsen and how that affected her even more. When he responded, he did seem to know what he was talking about, so that was somewhat reassuring. I hadn’t felt that way from the PA. During my mom’s last hospitalization, she was given additional medication for additional symptoms that popped up. Since that time, she has been steadily getting better and stronger. After some testing and questioning, he said she should be able to stop one of the medications. He said from his standpoint, she looked like she was doing pretty good. That was encouraging news. We had a similar experience with a different doctor last month who took her off another medication. So in the past month, my mom had 2 comforting doctor appointments and was able to stop taking 2 medications. That made my mom, my dad, and me very grateful.

I Found God today in encouraging doctor reports.

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Grateful for Honesty

Posted by eph21920 on January 2, 2017 in Answer, Car, Grateful, Trust

The other day when we were heading up to the cabin, I was searching for my snow boots and gloves, but couldn’t find them anywhere. I remembered putting them in and taking them out of cars as I made several trips to the airport in cold and snowy weather, but eventually I lost track of them. They were expensive boots that I have owned and have counted on for years. I took one car to the car wash a few days ago and had the interior cleaned. My mom said she was afraid someone there might have taken them. I called the car wash today, told them who took care of the car, and described my boots. I asked if by chance the boots were taken out of the car and not put back in. The young woman on the phone spoke to the one who cleaned the car. She knew exactly what I was talking about and had the boots there. I was ecstatic and said I would be in to pick them up. I took the blazer that had made the trek to the cabin and needed cleaning as well. I dropped it off at the beginning of the wash and went inside. I spoke to the woman who cleaned the car a few days ago. She apologized for leaving the boots out and as she headed to retrieve them, a young man appeared with boots in hand. The gloves were still tucked inside where I left them. I thanked them both. As the two young men were finishing up the blazer in another area I went on over and put the boots in the back. I told them I wanted to make sure they didn’t get left behind again. They also knew that the boots had been sitting there for a few days and were glad that I got them back. So, evidently, there were quite a few people who knew that my expensive snow boots and gloves were there and had been left behind. They were all honest and left them to be reclaimed. I was very grateful.

I Found God today in honest people and found snow boots.

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Finding Peace

Posted by eph21920 on January 1, 2017 in Answer, Faith, Family, New, Peace

A New Year has arrived! I spent the evening last night with my sisters and parents just hanging out and playing games. My mom made it until 9 pm. My sisters and I hustled her into the car so we could go see the “early fireworks”. They were less than spectacular, but it was fun to get out anyways. She went promptly to bed when we returned home. My dad, sisters and I popped the cork on the champagne at 11 pm and toasted before my dad turned in. My sisters and I watched a few minutes of the countdown, rang in the new year, and lasted about 10 more minutes. I felt quite old. I thought about a new year’s resolution, but that was about it – a thought. Today the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day of Peace along with the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. The scripture readings at Mass included, “The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!” Those words struck my heart and I realized that is exactly what I desire for this upcoming year – peace. I know things will get hectic and unexpected things will happen. How will I acquire this much longed for peace? First, I need to get my prayer life back in order. With the busy-ness of the holidays, my alone time with God has dwindled which just seems wrong because that is what Christmas is about. I will also be more grateful for  – well everything. If I just look back at the past year I can see how God blesses me each day, sometimes in big ways but mostly in small ways. If I can be more aware of those blessings during the day, I will be more aware of how much God loves me and takes care of me and those I love and pray for. I will be more at peace. I think that is one blessing of a new year –  it gives us the opportunity to review, recommit, and renew.

I Found God today realizing God’s abundant blessings and recommitting to my relationship with Him.

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Plowed Driveway

Posted by eph21920 on December 30, 2016 in Answer, Friends, Grateful, Weather

We headed up to the cabin in the mountains today. It was the warmest day we will have for a while and it was absolutely gorgeous. The snow covered mountains and the crystal blue sky was such a beautiful sight. Since we had quite a frigid spell and snow, we didn’t know what to expect at the house. The dirt roads leading to the place are maintained, but the driveway of course is not. It is a steep pitched drive that leads downhill to the front door, along the side of the house, then up again and out. There is always a big ledge of snow at either end from the plow. We usually park on the road and carefully walk down, making a path to help my mom. When we arrived today, we saw that there was not the usual berm at the top of the driveway. Upon further inspection, we realized that the driveway had been completely plowed out. We were able to drive right down. There was even a path to the front door and the porch had been shoveled. We were so happy for this unexpected gift. My mom could more easily make here way in and we didn’t have to do any shoveling. My dad went through all his checks in the house and everything was looking good. He spoke to one of the neighbors earlier in the week about heading up, so we knew he was the one who took care of the plowing and shoveling.

I Found God today in a very helpful neighbor and an easy, beautiful trip.

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Cheerful People

Posted by eph21920 on December 29, 2016 in Happiness, Joy, Stranger

We had several errands to run today and I anticipated that there would be a lot of people out. There were. But people were very happy and helpful. My dad found an item that he had been looking for with the help of the sales clerk in the store and got some other questions answered by the helpful checkout person. There was a very cheerful man in line behind us that chatted with my dad. Kids held the door open for me. I got a discount at the UPS store as I had a package to mail. Even in the busy grocery store, people were polite and considerate of one another. I overheard a couple of pop-up conversations as I went through the aisles. Perhaps it was Christmas cheer – I don’t know. But it made it very pleasant as I spent the afternoon running around.

I Found God today in generally cheerful people.

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Brother Brought Joy

Posted by eph21920 on December 28, 2016 in Family, Home, Joy, Relationship

My brother who came for Christmas headed home today. After a couple weeks of festivities and company, it is a very quiet house now. My parents and I took care of some things that needed attention and just kind of hung out for a while. I had made some gingerbread cookies that we didn’t have a chance to decorate, so we did some of those tonight. My dad talked about how nice it was to have people there. He especially appreciated his time with my brother as we don’t see him often. They talked computers and cabin projects and things that I just don’t have the knowledge for. It was easy to see the enthusiasm and joy it brought to my dad. I tried to talk my brother into coming every month – just for a weekend. I don’t think that will work, but he is planning on making another visit in the Spring. That will be great. I always love seeing my parents perk up when other people come around. I also love spending time visiting with others – especially family.

I Found God today in the joy my brother brought to my dad.

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You’re Amazing

Posted by eph21920 on December 27, 2016 in Humor, Joy

Last month for my birthday, I received a helium balloon with the words, “You’re Amazing” along with a bouquet of flowers and hearts. It is a mylar type, so it keeps the helium in it for a very long time. Recently, though, it has been hanging low from the string it is tied to. Today I cut it from the string but left a little tail on it still. It still was flying quite low. So I trimmed the string tail back little by little until it just hovered about on it’s own. It caught the air currents in the house and would just float around like it was on a journey. Every now and again it would show up right in front of someone. It was as if it was reminding everyone that, “You’re Amazing”. It was very entertaining.

I Found God today in an amusing and positive message.

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Able to Thrive

Posted by eph21920 on December 26, 2016 in Answer, Faith, Family, Life

My parents have been enjoying receiving their Christmas cards and reading the letters that help catch them up with friends and family. My mom was reading one letter in particular and started crying. The letter was about her cousin who she grew up with. Her cousin had a daughter with a muscular disease that left her unable to move and care for herself. When the daughter reached her teenage years, her mother was no longer able to lift her, so she placed her in a care facility nearby. But the relationship continued and grew. They saw each other often. The letter told of how the daughter – now an adult well into her middle years – had just gotten a job as a greeter at a local store. My mom said she admired her cousin so much for raising her daughter – along with 6 other siblings. She couldn’t imagine what a difficult task that must have been. My mom was so emotional thinking of the sacrifices that her cousin made for the well being of her children. And the daughter whose future was uncertain, thrived and is able to do more than was once anticipated.

I Found God today as my mom recognized His grace in an imperfect situation.

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