Yesterday was my neighbor’s birthday. She picked up her 6 year old grandson bright and early this morning to spend the day with him. His mother left him some money so he could take his Mimi out for coffee. So before they came to her house, they stopped at a coffee shop. The boy was quite a gentleman and very proud of himself as he bought the coffee.
I Found God today in the joy of a child and his Mimi.
I decided to go to church today when I realized the Gospel reading was of the Transfiguration. For whatever reason, that is one of my favorite stories. I try to imagine what it must have been like for the apostles to experience a little foretaste of Heaven. I arrived a little early to find the people in the church praying the rosary. After I chose a seat, I joined in the prayers. The gentleman leading the rosary had a beautiful voice, like a radio announcer or documentary speaker. After Mass, I just happened to walk out with him. I told him that he had a great voice. He said that he was away from the church for too long. He remembered praying the rosary with his grandmother and that is what brought him back to the church. Now he gives the rosary back in prayer as often as possible. I thanked him for sharing his story and for helping us all to have a prayerful experience.
I Found God today in a man’s faith story.
I am so glad that I made some videos of my mom explaining some of the jewelry that she had collected over the years. We would never have known the origin of them otherwise. Today I took some to the jewelry repair shop. There was a strand of pearls that had come apart some time ago. My mom held on to it and I wanted to get it restrung. In the video, my mom talked about the complete necklace. She had bought that one to replace the broken strand. I also brought a gold leaf pin with a pearl that was very loose. My mom said that my dad bought it for her when they were dating. I had found several single pearl earrings and one pair that needed new posts. At the shop, the expert was able to tell me which pieces had monetary value. The value of the others were sentimental. I watched the videos again and felt very close to my mom and my dad who loved to buy her beautiful jewelry. It was one of the ways he showed his love for her.
I Found God today feeling close to my parents through videos and jewelry.
I went to visit my elderly woman today and was surprised that her caregiver’s car wasn’t there. As I was approaching the door, I was hoping everything was alright. The woman’s son greeted me and said that the woman was upstairs. He went to his workplace in the house. Then his wife popped her head out of an upstairs door and said that she was just getting the woman out of the shower. She invited me to go on up. I sat in a little area not too far from the bathroom to wait. On the coffee table were some magazines and on top was one of Queen Elizabeth. The daughter in law said that the woman really liked following her. It was one more thing she had in common with my mother. As I waited, I could hear the daughter in law encouraging the woman as she finished getting ready. She told me that the caregiver had been in the hospital. She was home now, but took the day off to rest. The daughter in law had to rearrange her day to care for the elderly woman. Once the woman was ready, we all made our way downstairs. The daughter in law carried the walker down the steps in front of the woman to make sure she was safe. It was slow going down the long staircase. Once they reached the bottom, the woman took her walker back and made her way to her chair. Once she sat down, she let out a loud, heavy sigh. I told her she had already had her morning workout. The woman was just so cooperative and pleasant. The daughter in law disappeared as I gave the woman Communion and chatted a bit. When she came back later, she was more put together. I remembered those harried days when caregiving seemed overwhelming. I was glad to be able to provide some time for the daughter in law to get caught up in her morning routine.
I Found God today being able to help.
Yesterday marked the 28th anniversary of a friend’s ordination to the priesthood and there was a little celebration after Mass today. He reminded me that 28 years ago today was when he celebrated his first Mass. I remembered going to his ordination and receiving his blessing. After church I headed home to celebrate my brother’s birthday. My sister came with a friend from high school who was visiting from out of state. It made me happy to see my sister so joyful. Later we got on family Zoom. My other sister described how they celebrated her husband’s birthday today. I was grateful to have many things to celebrate and be happy about today.
I Found God today in many celebrations.
My brother is here going through the last few cassette tapes that we found. Years ago, he spent time with my dad digitizing the tapes of my mom playing piano and singing in different venues, and of family recordings. However, as I was sorting out things, I came across a handful of cassettes that my brother didn’t recognize. He listened to some of them today and transferred those worth keeping. He found more recordings of our mother’s musical talents and another family travelog. We were living in Germany at that time. My brother had learned to play the guitar, so he was playing while my sister kept beat on the sofa and we all sang. Those were some wonderful memories. I am so grateful that my mother instilled her appreciation for music into us all and that my father used his technology skills to make recordings. And they allowed us kids to run the show. Furthermore, my dad and brothers had (and still have) the ability to digitize the music so my mom can always be with us, and my dad’s photos so we will always have them. What a blessing.
I Found God today remembering good childhood experiences and grateful to still have them.
Laat year I learned that a friend’s daughter was attending the same high school that I graduated from and that most of my siblings went to. The teenager was also in the marching band. My friend shared lots of photos and videos on social media. And I saw her at their annual craft fair/fundraiser. My brother was also in the marching band many years ago. They won several competitions at that time and still are top in the state. It turned out that the same drum leader that my brother had was still teaching the current band. My friend is very involved with the band and has invited people to their events. Today a friend and I went to the high school where the marching band did a short performance. They were very good, even for just beginning a new year. The kids were clearly enjoying themselves. Family members watching were making sure their student saw them and were taking videos. It brought back many good memories of the school and of my brother.
I Found God today enjoying a band performance.
I have been doing a few things with a singles social group from the church. There is a lot of going out to lunch, which is not really a favorite thing of mine to do. I enjoy chatting with the people who go, but it costs money, and I would rather do something more active. The other day, one of the ladies invited me to go on a hike through one of the local parks. She and some others were going to explore and see if it might be something that the rest of the group would enjoy. That sounded much more exciting to me, so I met them at the park at 7:30 am. The weather was partly cloudy and cool, which made for interesting scenery and great for walking. All 4 of us seemed to be at about the same physical level. The pace was a little slower than my usual with a lot of chatting. But a slower pace meant we went further than my usual and were out for a couple hours without me even noticing. What I did notice was the beautiful scenery, the comfortable weather, the good company, and the fawn that crossed the road when I was driving out of the park. It was a beautiful morning.
I Found God today in a beautiful morning.
A couple weeks ago, I went shopping and bought a couple of new shirts. I have put on a few pounds over the past year and needed clothes that fit a little better. However, I am very frugal and don’t like to spend a lot of money. I did find a couple cute blouses on “last chance” clearance. When I put them on at home, they looked huge, and I wondered what I was thinking when I got them. Of course, “last chance” meant no returns. I decided instead of donating them, I would try to fix them, even though I haven’t sewn in years. I think the last thing I did was to sew ties on a mask during COVID. The clothes just needed to be taken in a bit and I figured it was worth a try. I went into my mom’s room, asked her for help, and set up her sewing machine. Luckily, the thread was already in place. I tried on the first shirt and did my best pinning. I got it in place at the machine and started. It was like I knew what I was doing. I altered 3 shirts and I think they turned out just fine. I was surprised as to how easily I took to the machine and remembered some of those handy sewing tips. I thanked my mom for her help.
I Found God today remembering how to use my mom’s sewing machine and salvaging some clothes.
Today the church celebrates the Memorial of Saints Mary, Martha and Lazarus. I read the scripture story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and watched a reflection about it. There were 2 things that struck me. The first was the shortest passage in the Bible, which is “Jesus wept”, John 11:35. The reflection explained this as Jesus entering into our pain. In the story, Jesus could have in fact stopped Lazarus from dying at all. Yet, he didn’t. Instead, he joined his friends in their sorrow and felt their anguish. To me, it brought me comfort and explained more the feelings I had when my parents were nearing death. God wouldn’t fix it, cure them, stop my grief, but at the same time I knew He was there. The second thing that stood out to me is something I have heard over and over again. Yet today it was more meaningful for whatever reason. In the same story, Jesus is having a conversation with Martha about the death of her brother. He tells her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” We will never die. Our soul – the essence of who we are – will live forever. Our life in this world is short. We can do all the things to try to live a long, healthy, happy life, but no matter what, it will end. This old yet new revelation is something that I have been thinking about. It has helped me to try to be more conscious of living my life for the things that are most important, loving those around me the best I can.
I Found God today remembering His interactions with us and grateful that He has promised eternal life.
Still Finding God 