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Reexamining Repentance

Posted by eph21920 on December 3, 2016 in Advent, Answer, Bible, Faith, Forgiveness, Humility, Love

My parents and I went to church this evening. Part of the scripture that was read was about John the Baptist. He told everyone to get ready for Jesus as He was coming soon. He also warned people to repent. Often we think of repentance as a humiliating process – particularly if we go to the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation. The priest talked about just that. He gave a new perspective of the word “repentance”. Instead of looking downcast and ashamed, we should be looking upward toward the loving gaze of Jesus. His definition of repentance was to first realize that you are a beloved child of God. Then we need to acknowledge that we have not lived up to that love. And next, we do what we can to make amends and to change harmful behavior. I thought this was a beautiful way of looking at it. It certainly made me think – how often can I not even do the first thing – realize that I am a beloved child of God. I am certainly guilty of being guilty. But I know that just keeps me away from God. If I cannot look at Him who loves me above all, how can I allow Him to be a part of my life. Recently, a priest that I have been talking with encouraged me to begin reading specific scripture that focus on God’s love. It has been wonderful and helps me to replace the guilty feeling with the truth of being a beloved child of God. I certainly acknowledge that I have not lived up to that love. I am human with human faults. But I do try to change behavior and thoughts that are harmful to me and to others. I appreciated the new perspective.

I Found God today in a new way of looking at repentance.

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From Ministry to Minister

Posted by eph21920 on December 2, 2016 in Connected, Faith, Friends, Life, Past, Youth

A couple of months ago, I connected with a young woman who I knew from my previous home. She is now living in the same state as me, so we caught up over dinner. The other day she told me that her brother was going to be in town for a short time and asked if I wanted to get together. I knew her brother in the high school youth ministry I worked with and had not seen him for several years, so I was excited for the opportunity. This morning I met up with the young woman, her husband, her brother and his family. Her brother is now married with two young children. His adorable and energetic daughter reminded me so much of his sisters as they were pretty young when I first met them. His son was very quiet and polite. The young man, now in his mid-20’s, became a Protestant minister. He was always very thoughtful and inquisitive as I remember him in high school. I could also see that he had a deep faith and was trying to figure it all out – as are most high school youth. We talked about the path that he took for his life and the discernment process that he went through in making this big decision. He said he couldn’t see himself doing anything else. He told me about his schooling overseas and finding a congregation to work for. He is currently the pastor of a small church in a small town in the next state over. We talked about youth ministry and the workcamp trips we used to take. He wants the kids in his youth ministry to have that same experience. There are many high school youth – mostly guys – who come to his youth group and not all of them are part of the church. Evidently he is offering them a connection that they are looking for and is a wonderful young role model. I was so caught up talking with him that time just flew by. In the mean time, his extremely patient wife was keeping the kids occupied – with a little help from their aunt and uncle. I chatted with her a bit before we parted ways. I mentioned what a sacrifice this young man and his wife are making. She said she did not see it as a sacrifice at all. She is honored to support her husband, to allow God to work through her, and to follow the path God has set for their family. It warmed my heart to witness what a blessing this young man has become.

I Found God today in a faithful, dedicated young man and his family.

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Helping Me Help Mom

Posted by eph21920 on December 1, 2016 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Life, Sick

After my mom recovered from her most recent hospital stay a couple of months ago, we decided to go to the Parkinson’s Disease support group in our area. Since we are “newcomers”, we were invited to attend a special presentation called “Parkinson’s 101”. We have gained so much information already from the group and were happy to make it to the presentation today. It included a video by a doctor, stories of real life experiences, and even some humor. Before it started, we were told that by the end we would know more about Parkinson’s Disease than most of the doctors. The main speaker was the vice-president of the group. She was a caregiver for her mother who had Parkinson’s. Her sister’s husband had Parkinson’s and they were both present to add valuable input. Her mother-in-law also had Parkinson’s and she was able to help get the diagnosis due to her experience. They were all very passionate about the subject and had a deep desire to help Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers. As we listened, my mother and I nodded to each other as we completely understood some of the struggles that they were talking about. I asked my mom if she was told this information by her doctor and she had not. I have gone to her doctor’s appointments for the past 2 years and never heard any of what they were discussing. Most of what I learned has come from the internet, and it can be hard to decipher what is true and what is not. I continue to be baffled that she was given this diagnosis and has received so little information along the way. At the same time, I am grateful for all that we are learning right now. I feel we are all better equipped to deal with the disease and help my mom have the best quality of life.

I Found God today in caring people and valuable information to help me help my mom.

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Safe During the Storm

Posted by eph21920 on November 30, 2016 in Answer, Dog, Family, Grateful

My brother has been traveling all around the country and Canada with his trailer and his dog. He has been staying at various campgrounds and moving on a whim. He has been staying at a particular place for over a week. It was crowded over the holiday weekend, but recently everyone moved out and he has been alone as he describes it in the middle of the campground. He called today and told us of his adventure last night. He said his dog was acting strange all day yesterday. She was visibly upset and my brother couldn’t figure out exactly why. Later that night as they were trying to sleep, he heard thunder rumbling far away. It sounded ominous, so he checked the weather. He found that there was a line of severe thunderstorms producing hail moving his direction and a tornado watch was in effect. His poor dog was beside herself by this time and he decided they should see what kind of cover they could find. He and his dog got into the truck and headed over to the office. It was midnight by this time and the people in the office were locking everything up and heading out themselves. They discussed options and my brother decided that the parking garage seemed to be the best idea. He drove into the middle of the garage to wait out the storm, reassuring his dog that everything would be ok. They sat there for an hour and a half as the storm tore through with lightning and thunder on top of each other. When things calmed down, he drove back to the site of the trailer. He was happy to see that there was no damage done. He and his dog settled down to sleep once again in the wee hours of the morning. Later he found that the storm – as serious as it was – was just ramping up as it passed by him. The storm did produce tornadoes not too far from where he was. We were all happy that he and his dog were safe.

I Found God today in safety for my brother and his dog.

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Fe

Posted by eph21920 on November 29, 2016 in Answer, Faith, Stranger

Today my parents, a friend of theirs, and I went out to lunch. A young man wearing an interesting t-shirt came in and sat at the table next to us. Both my dad and I were staring at the shirt and I am sure he knew it. So I simply acknowledged it out loud to try to make it less awkward. In the middle of the shirt was a large chemistry symbol – Fe. My dad asked if that was the symbol for iron. The young man said it was. Then I was able to figure out the rest. It had 27:17 above the symbol and PRVB underneath. I deciphered it to be Proverbs 27:17, “Iron is sharpened by iron; one person sharpens another.” and asked the young man if that was correct. He said it was. The woman he was with congratulated us on our accomplishment. I remembered that scripture verse when I was working for a church. “Iron Sharpens Iron” is a ministry designed for men to build one another up, to support each other and help each other live a moral and faithful life. I knew a couple of men who attended one of their conferences and it really made an impact on them. It was good to see a young man who was involved in such an uplifting group. Later, I heard part of a conversation he was having with his waiter about the shirt. Evidently, it was a pretty good tool for getting people to think and way to start a conversation.

I Found God today in a hopeful young man.

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Dream Revealed Reality

Posted by eph21920 on November 28, 2016 in Answer, Connected, Family, Grateful, Life

We monitor my mom’s pulse and blood pressure on a regular basis. Recently, the pulse number has been erratic and sometimes very low. The same thing has happened with my dad due to premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) – extra, abnormal heartbeats that begin in one of your heart’s two lower pumping chambers (ventricles). I thought this could be the same thing now happening with my mom. She seemed to be feeling ok and the last thing we want to do is have another hospital visit, so we continued to keep track of what was happening. But it has been weighing on my mind. A couple of nights ago, I dreamed that I called the heart doctor who instructed us to download the information from the pacemaker which we can do with a home monitor instrument. In my dream, the doctor called us back and told us to go into the office to take a look at her. After seeing many of the lower pulse rates this weekend, I decided that was enough. My dad had an appointment already set up for today at the pacemaker clinic. I called the cardiologist first thing this morning and explained the situation to the nurse. She said to download my mom’s pacemaker information from home, which we did. She called back when they received the information and said it seemed the pacemaker probably needed some adjusting. She said to bring my mom in with my dad to the appointment. Just like my dream! Unfortunately, my dream ended there, so I didn’t know what to expect next. The technician at the clinic did some tests and verified that my mom does in fact have PVC’s. The home devices don’t always pick up those abnormalities, so it can show as a low pulse. She adjusted the pacemaker slightly. My dad was also checked and everything was working properly. It was good to know what was causing the abnormal readings and good to know all is well.

I Found God today in a dream-reality correlation with a positive outcome.

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It’s Mimi

Posted by eph21920 on November 27, 2016 in Children, Connected, Family, Grateful

I was so happy to video chat with my son, his wife, and my grandkids today. My 1 1/2 year old granddaughter looked and looked at the screen. I could see she was trying to make sense of it all. She waved at the prompting of her mom and dad as I kept saying hello and talking to her. My son and his wife kept saying, “It’s Grammy!” After a couple of minutes, I could tell it all clicked. My granddaughter said, “Hi Mimi!” in her sweet little voice. From there, we blew kisses and played games. The interaction with her and the rest of the family made my day. I am so grateful that we are able to stay in touch this way.

I Found God today interacting with my far away family.

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Rosary in Lourdes

Posted by eph21920 on November 26, 2016 in Begin, Faith, Family, Life, Prayer

This morning as I was preparing breakfast, my mom was flipping through the channels on the small TV in the kitchen as she does every morning. She came across EWTN and left it there for a few minutes to see what was on. The program that came on was a priest and group of people praying the rosary at the grotto in Lourdes, France. We immediately recognized the place. It looked the same as it did more than 40 years ago when my mother took me there on a pilgrimage. That trip definitely set the path for my life of faith. We left the program on and prayed the rosary while I continued to cook and my mother continued to sort out her medication for the day. Just as the trip set the path for my life, the prayer set my path for the day.

I Found God today remembering a powerful spiritual experience and bringing it to the forefront of my day.

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Waited For Good News

Posted by eph21920 on November 25, 2016 in Answer, Friends, Grateful, Problem, Sick

Among all the Thanksgiving good wishes yesterday was a message from a young woman I know. She was feeling particularly “mushy and reflective” as she had some concerning medical issues and was waiting to get answers. I understand how difficult it is to realize  there is something wrong, but not know exactly what. Your mind always goes to the worst case scenario. She was in my heart and prayers all through the day. Starting this morning I checked frequently to see if there were any updates and thought I would call later if I didn’t hear anything. Later this morning, I saw the message that she had good news. I was so glad that her waiting was over and now she could breath a sigh of relief.

I Found God today in good news for a young woman.

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One Day at a Time

Posted by eph21920 on November 24, 2016 in Faith, Family, Food, Grateful

I was surprised and happy to get a call from a far away friend this morning. We talked briefly as we were both getting ready for the big Thanksgiving meal. She asked how things were going here. I looked around at my mom, dad, sisters and brother-in-law and said that right now, things were pretty great. My sisters and I worked hard preparing the food and getting it all on the table. As we enjoyed the meal, my mom said how grateful she was that she had family around her as she sniffed a little and wiped away a tear of joy. My dad said he was thankful that my sisters and I kept such a good relationship. I am grateful for both as well and for the teamwork to make the delicious food. When I talked with my friend, I told her that I have learned to take one day at a time. When morning comes, I thank God for the night’s sleep and to be awake. When I hear my parents getting up, I thank God for them, that they are home, and for all they provide for me. I thank Him for the day and ask for His help and guidance to face whatever comes our way. I try to thank Him during the day as well – especially in the small things. One day at a time.

I Found God today being able to be grateful one day at at time.

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