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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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Festive Feeling

Posted by eph21920 on November 23, 2016 in Children, Humor, Joy

I went to the grocery store this morning to get the last few things I need for Thanksgiving dinner. I actually got there pretty early so the crowd was not too big. There was a festive feeling in the air and people were generally in a good mood. The employees were super friendly as they usually are. A woman was pushing one of those carts that has a play car on the front end. There were two seats filled with two adorable little boys making race car sounds. I smiled at them and asked if they were driving. The older of the two said something in toddler speak so I didn’t understand, but he seemed rather please with himself. At the checkout, I was third in line and people quickly filled in behind me. There was another mom with a little boy in the shopping cart at the front. The boy was unhappy and while not actually crying, he was more like whining. The cashier thought she would try to cheer him up by giving him a sticker. It stuck to his finger and as he tried to take it off, it stuck to the other one. She tried to help him, but he would have no part of that. It did distract him for a while, though, until he got fed up with trying to get the sticker off as it went back and forth from finger to finger. He finally shook his hand hard and it came off. Then he went back to his whining. The whole scene captivated and entertained the entire line of people along with the cashier and his mom who was very patient. Even though he was not too happy, his antics brought smiles and laughter to those around him.

I Found God today in generally happy people and childhood antics.

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The Magical Touch

Posted by eph21920 on November 22, 2016 in Angel, Family, Humor, Problem

The other day we spent some time at the cabin in the mountains. The old dishwasher has been making a terrible grinding sound coming from the motor and we have been wondering how long it will last. We started it yesterday and it went for a while, but then it stopped and just made clicking sounds. I tried everything I knew to get it going again with no luck. I went outside where my dad was doing some work to tell him the bad news. When we came back into the house, I heard the dishwasher running again. My mom said she fixed it. Evidently, she pushed all the buttons a couple of times, turned the knob, locked and unlocked the door a couple of times, and it started. We were impressed with her magical touch. When my mom got up this morning, she turned on the tv in the kitchen. The picture came on but there was no sound. Again I tried everything I knew to try to get the sound to come on, but it did not. After a few minutes I left the room and when I returned, the sound was working. My mom said she fixed it. Evidently, she pushed all the buttons a couple of times and turned it off and back on again and it started working. We were doubly impressed with her magical touch and found it pretty humorous.

I Found God today in the humor of my mom’s “magical touch”.

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You’re Amazing

Posted by eph21920 on November 21, 2016 in Happiness, Love

Today as my parents and I were out and about, we passed by a home that we affectionately call the “Hippie House”. My parents have seen it transform many times over the years. The owners have added multi-colored accessories, large rocks, and a fence of sorts made out of tree stumps. There seems to be something new and different every time we see it. Today, there was a large white banner strewn across the entire front of the house. In bright red bold letters it read, “You’re Amazing!” Perhaps it is their way of spreading some joy, love, and happiness in the world. It certainly made us smile.

I Found God today in a large uplifting message.

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Painting With Friends

Posted by eph21920 on November 20, 2016 in Family, Friends, Fun

Last night some friends, my sisters, and I all went to a painting studio to celebrate my birthday – again. I had been wanting to do that for a long time and saw some beautiful pictures that my friends painted. One of my friends suggested we all go, so we did and we had so much fun. The instructor showed us step by step how to paint the picture of a forest after a snow storm. When I looked at the painting beforehand, I didn’t know how in the world I was going to accomplish it. But as we made our way through and with a few tips, I managed to pull it off. My sisters both had painting experience in the past – one of them currently paints pet portraits. She was a lot of help. The instructor also kept telling us to stand back and look at them to get a different perspective. That was helpful because up close to me, mine just looked like a bunch of lines. Part of the fun was seeing what other people did. Even though we all painted the same picture, each one was unique. Some of the paintings had smooth strokes and lines. Others had more texture. Some were darker and others were lighter. Each one kind of matched the individual personalities as well. My sisters stayed the night and we looked at our artwork again this morning in the sunlight. They looked even better than last night. We all decided to go again to celebrate upcoming birthdays. Getting out with friends and allowing my creative juices to flow was very uplifting and good for my soul.

I Found God today being with friends and being creative.

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More Empowered

Posted by eph21920 on November 18, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Knowledge

Today I went to the Parkinson’s Caregiver group. I’m learning so much about this disease that I wish I knew before. But it is helping me to feel a little more empowered about helping my mom where she is right now. One thing I learned is how the timing of when she takes the medication in relation to when she eats a good amount of protein affects the way the medicine is absorbed. Recently I noticed her tremors becoming more noticeable. A couple of days ago, we changed the time that she was taking one of the pills. There was a marked improvement in her symptoms and in how she felt. Usually by bedtime, she can’t wait to crawl into bed. Tonight she even said she felt more awake than she has in a very long time. I am grateful for what I am learning and for the support I am finding.

I Found God today in learning and implementing a change to improve my mom’s well being.

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Pushed by an Angel

Posted by eph21920 on November 17, 2016 in Angel, Baby, Children, Faith

Yesterday I saw a video of a little boy who caught his baby brother when he fell off the changing table. The mom had turned away for a moment and the 18 month old baby wiggled to the edge of the table and tumbled over. His 9 year old brother just happened to be walking by the room, saw what was happening, ran over, and caught the baby before he hit the floor. The little boy said he felt that an angel pushed him because he can’t run that fast and his brother is so heavy that he can’t hardly pick up the 30 pound toddler. The boy was on the news today talking about the incident. It was so heartwarming and uplifting. The mom said she posted the video because there is so much upheaval going on right now. She wanted people to see something miraculous. You can see the whole story and video here.

I Found God today in an amazing story of a boy saving his brother and acknowledging that he could not have done it on his own.

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The Neighbors Return

Posted by eph21920 on November 16, 2016 in Doctor, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Healing, Life, Sick, Struggles

We haven’t seen our neighbors for months. The couple purchased the condo next to us about a year ago and had some loose ends to tie up in their previous residence many states away. They were back and forth for a while and were supposed to move in to stay here a few months ago. The next thing I heard was that the husband had to have immediate open heart surgery. He had a few minor complications and was finally able to make the trip this week. They arrived this afternoon. We were happy to see them and talk with them about their journey. The husband was in good spirits and told us that he was making the final rounds of doctors appointments before he left. He saw his cardiologist who did some tests and found that his aortic valve was not functioning properly. Surgery was absolutely necessary. When they did the surgery, the doctors found that his heart had more damage than what was initially shown on the tests. They had to replace the valve and part of the aorta itself. He said that is was truly a blessing as he did not have any symptoms at all. The doctors said that the stress of moving across the country would have likely resulted in a massive heart attack and possibly death. He was truly grateful that he had the opportunity to make his way to the new home and enjoy the next phase of life. He said the valve that was replaced was from a cow and joked that when he gets up in the morning, he moos just a little. His grateful, positive, hope filled outlook was very encouraging.

I Found God today in a grateful man with an encouraging story to share.

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Seeing Santa

Posted by eph21920 on November 15, 2016 in Answer, Children, Happiness

I am always encouraged when I go to the caregivers support group. I learn a lot and am able to look at things in a different way. One of the girls is taking care of her mother who has dementia and recently was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. The mom wanted to visit her grandchildren, so the daughter made arrangements to go for a visit. Unfortunately, there is tension in the family and the trip was cancelled last minute by those they were to visit. The mom kept talking about going to visit the kids and the daughter didn’t want her to be disappointed, so she knew she had to do something. She thought about where to go so her mom could see some kids. She remembered she heard that Santa had arrived at the mall, so that’s where they headed. Her mom met Santa, they took some pictures, and the helpers made her the queen of the elves for the day. They spent over half an hour there and her mom gave Santa a kiss before they left. Later they baked and were going to decorate cookies. The daughter said that her mom had a great weekend and didn’t seem to be upset by the fact that she wasn’t able to see her grandchildren. The rest of the support group told the daughter what a creative and thoughtful idea she had.

I Found God today in a caring, thoughtful woman.

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Familiar Faces

Posted by eph21920 on November 14, 2016 in Connected, Friends, Grateful, Knowledge, Struggles

The other day my mom, sister, and I went to a Parkinson’s support group. This is the 2nd time we have gone. The speaker was a therapist that worked with my mom at the beginning of this year. I knew she was good, but I didn’t realize how dedicated she was to helping those with Parkinson’s. She recently attended a Parkinson’s Disease convention and shared what she learned. Most people in the room seemed to have worked with her or been in one of her classes. She said she loves helping people do more than they think they can and live to the best of their ability. The 2 times we have gone, we have gained so much knowledge. It has been wonderful and a little overwhelming. We met the people at our table and enjoyed getting to know them. This disease does show itself in different ways in different people. As my mom looked around, she spotted someone she thought she knew who sang in the church choir about 20 years ago when my mom was the organist. My mom has an amazing memory. She went on over to her and sure enough, it was the woman. She also has Parkinson’s. They talked for a long time and were so glad to get reunited. At the end of the meeting, we talked with the therapist and made plans to get my mom back in to work with her. It is so uplifting and empowering for my mom to get connected with others and to learn more about how she can better help herself navigate through this disease. It is also incredibly helpful for me as I try to do my best in caring for her.

I Found God today as I learned more about my mom’s disease and seeing her reconnect with familiar faces.

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