Leave a comment

Much Needed Relief

Posted by eph21920 on October 13, 2016 in Answer, Doctor, Friends, Grateful

A friend of mine lives with and cares for her aging mother. Her mother is in a lot of pain that is prohibiting her from getting up and about. My friend has been pursuing different doctors and options to see what can be done to help. I heard from her today. She got her mom to a pain management specialist who gave her a shot right in the office. Afterwards, my friend had to stop at the store and figured her mom would wait in the car. Instead, her mother went into the store and walked around the whole thing. Evidently she had not even been into the store in over 5 years. It was such good news to hear that they were able to find something to give immediate relief and allow the mom to be rejuvenated.

I Found God today in relief for a woman in pain.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Got the Message

Posted by eph21920 on October 12, 2016 in Answer, Fun, Happiness

I was just tired today – perhaps it was the weather. So I sat down in front of the TV tonight and flipped through the channels. There was a new show on that I had seen the previews for. It was a sitcom about a family with a son who has special needs. I hesitated to watch as I thought it might be just silly, irresponsible, and disrespectful. But I watched the show and found I was wrong – at least for this episode. The disabled teenager spent the day with another person and the family was left to figure out what to do while he was away. The bottom line was that their lives were so wrapped up in the life of the boy, that they didn’t know who they were. They then felt guilty having fun without him. This was one of the things we talked about in the caregivers group yesterday. The show did put a funny spin on it, but the message was clear. It is important for caregivers to have a life of their own away from those they care for. It is truly beneficial for everyone concerned. I thought it was interesting that this message was confirmed in this way.

I Found God in a message confirmed.

Permalink
2 Comments

Surprising Connection

Posted by eph21920 on October 11, 2016 in Connected, Past

Today I got a message from a young lady who I haven’t seen in a few years. I knew her and her family through the church where I used to work and live. It was a surprise to hear from her. It turns out she and her husband live in the area. We made plans to get together. I am so looking forward to meeting up with them.

I Found God today in an unexpected connection.

Permalink
2 Comments

Scrapbooking

Posted by eph21920 on October 10, 2016 in Family, Grateful

For several years my mom has been working on a scrapbook that tells about her family history. My sister helped her to put it together every now and then. There are still some pages that need some work done and names and stories that need to be written down. My mom and I got the book out a while ago along with all the extra paper, cutting utensils, pens, guide books, stickers, and all other things a scrapbooker might need. As we looked through it, my mom told me what she thought needed to be done on each page. I was overwhelmed and realized that there are some things that I am just not cut out for. It took hours just to get everything out, browse the book, and put things back away again. I was so grateful that my sister came over yesterday so I could go out and about with my other sister. Evidently, they spent hours pouring over the scrapbook. My sister was completing a page when I returned home. They showed me the pages they had finished and those that my mother wrote on. It took a lot of thinking and concentration on her part. My sister was concerned that she had pushed my mom too far. But, my mom was up this morning and busy all day long. She was so happy to have done some work in the scrapbook. I found myself even more grateful of my sister’s talents and appreciate how she is able to help my mom in a way that I cannot.

I Found God today in my talented sister.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Finding Beauty

Posted by eph21920 on October 9, 2016 in Creation, Family, Grateful, Happiness, Travel

Columbus Day weekend was always one that I looked forward to when I lived in the Northeast. Mostly because it meant a long weekend with the Fall foliage colors at their peak. A couple of years I headed to visit my son over the weekend and would take the route that went through the mountains. At times I would have a hard time driving as I just wanted to take in the scenery. Today I was so happy to spend some time with my sister. It was a beautiful day, so we hit the road early to see what color there may be left in the mountain area. We went back to a place that we visited last year. Unfortunately, most of the leaves had already dropped due to cold and yes – even snow. So, we just kept driving up the winding road. We weren’t really sure where we would end up, but each turn in the road brought another breathtaking view. We kept playing tag with some bicyclists as we stopped along the way to take pictures. First we were ahead of them, then they were ahead of us. Finally we stopped at the same place. We asked them where the road led to. They told us that not too far ahead was a lake with a beautiful view. At the parking area there would be a lodge where we might find some lunch and in particular, amazing hot chocolate. We thanked them and went along our way. It wasn’t long before we came upon the lake at the base of a mountain and the lodge, just as described. We hiked around the lake and took in the spectacular view from all sides. Afterward, we had to try the hot chocolate and were not disappointed. It was a great day all around even though the beauty of the mountains in the west is very different from the beauty of the foliage and mountains in the northeast. The weather was perfect, the scenery was amazing, and I always enjoy spending time with my sister.

I Found God today in a relaxing, beautiful day.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Supportive Parkinsonians

Posted by eph21920 on October 8, 2016 in Answer, Connected, Doctor, Family, Grateful, Knowledge

My mom found out about a Parkinson’s support group several years ago and had thought often about going, but never did. We recently decided to make it a priority. Today my mom, sister, and I went to the group. It was “football month”, so my sister and I wore our team garb. We were greeted at the door by a woman who introduced herself and sent us along to the check-in table where more friendly women welcomed us. They gave us name tags and an information sheet to fill out and showed us to the “newcomer’s table”. I had been in email contact with the president of the group who came over and introduced himself. As I looked around the room, I saw people of all ages who showed different symptoms and severity of Parkinson’s. It was quite interesting to see this diverse, yet connected group all together. The meeting of about 130 people started the same as most with some business to take care of. The main speaker was a doctor who has been doing research on Parkinson’s for many years. He talked technical and medical and I got lost a few times, but I was able to understand most of it. He explained what happens to the cells in the part of the brain that causes the disease. He talked about how the medications that my mom is taking affect the body. His enthusiasm grew as he went on to tell about a new drug he has been testing. I found the whole presentation fascinating. After the speaker there was a potluck lunch and the “newcomers” were invited to be first through the line. We received a newsletter that was full of information. The person who was in charge of the caregiver’s group came over and invited my sister and I to come to their next meeting. While it was a long morning for my mom, she enjoyed the group. It was uplifting to realize that she is not alone in this battle. We met some great people and learned a lot.

I Found God today in the support of others experiencing the same disease as my mom.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Fall Day at the Cabin

Posted by eph21920 on October 6, 2016 in Creation, Family, Food, Friends, Grateful

Yesterday, my mom, dad and I headed to the cabin in the mountains. It was the first time my mom had been there in months. We brought along the oxygen monitor as suggested by the cardiologist, just to keep an eye on things. She did great and so did my dad. The scenery was just gorgeous on the way up. Pockets of yellow aspen trees dotted the landscape in among the evergreens. We spotted a young buck near the side of the road and stopped to take some pictures. He obliged as he stood tall and struck several poses. Just before we got to our place, we honked at a friend’s house to announce our arrival. He came over and spent the day helping my dad get some winterizing projects done. He calls my dad his “Little Buddy” and my dad calls him “Big John”. The size difference is remarkable – so much now that my dad jokingly asked his friend if he was still growing. For lunch I made a big pot of chicken soup using some vegetables from my sister’s garden. I put the finishing touches on the apple pie that my mom made the crust for and put it in the oven. There is nothing like the smell of a pot of soup and apple pie on a chilly fall day. But eating them was even better. We headed home just before dusk and spotted so many deer we couldn’t keep count. We even saw a few elk. It was a tiring day, but such a nice break for the three of us. We were all very grateful.

I Found God today enjoying the small details of a fall day.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Beautiful Pie Crust

Posted by eph21920 on October 4, 2016 in Family, Food, Knowledge

Today at the caregiver’s support group, we talked about how different cultures view their elderly people. In our culture at this time, there are too many instances in which our aging population are forgotten about, seemingly a burden or an just an obligation. While in other cultures, the older people have wisdom and have much to teach the younger generation. Tomorrow we are getting together with a friend for lunch. I wanted to make an autumn dessert and thought of apple pie. I have tried to make a homemade pie crust in the past and it turned out terrible, so I was ready to get one of those ready made kind from the grocery store. My mother used to make a fantastic pie crust and said she would make it, even though she hasn’t done it for 20 years. This evening she found her favorite recipe and started in. I watched as she carefully measured the proper amount of ingredients and started rolling it out. As she worked, we talked about the bakery her father owned and she lived in when she was a child. She learned his techniques and skill. She meticulously added a sprinkle of water here and there as needed so the crust would not break up, yet not be too moist. It turned out beautiful. We decided we need to do it more often. I learn things from my parents all the time, but this was a concrete example of the contribution and impact my mother still makes on me which will trickle down to whoever might want to listen to me.

I Found God today as I continue to learn from my mother.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Heart of the Matter

Posted by eph21920 on October 3, 2016 in Creation, Jesus

As I was thinking about what to write in this blog tonight, I suddenly became keenly aware of my own heartbeat. It was distracting for while, but then I realized that my heart is beating because God wills it to. I can worry about the health of my parents and myself, but God has created each of us and knows our bodies perfectly. He is in each breath, each action, each thought. Our hearts are unique in that not only are they a physical part of our body, but we talk of our heart as the emotional point of ourselves. When we fall in love, our hearts belong to that person. When we are hurt by someone, we suffer heartache. When we want to have a closer relationship with God, we ask Him to come into our heart. I have several different pictures of Jesus, but those that intrigue me and have the most meaning to me are those depicting His Sacred Heart. To me they are very intense as they depict the immense love Jesus has for us – his beloved people.

I Found God today in my own beating heart.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Trust

Posted by eph21920 on October 2, 2016 in Answer, Faith, Life, Plan, Problem

Today at church, we heard part of scripture from Habakkuk who was a prophet from the Old Testament. He cried out to God, complaining of his plight and the troubles of the people, and God answered him. The priest explained we may feel the same as the prophet as many of the same things are happening in our world right now. “How long, O LORD, must I cry for help and you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” and you do not intervene? Why do you let me see iniquity? Why do you simply gaze at evil? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and discord.”  God’s answer was TRUST. Trust that His plan is unfolding in His time. I thought about the events in my own life when I literally cried out to God to make it stop. While the situation didn’t necessarily come to an end, after time I was able to see how God was still with me through it and that I was a different and better person. It is hard to trust when things go wrong according to what I think should be happening. But, I don’t know what the effect is or will be on myself or on other people. I know for sure that what I want isn’t always the best thing. Thank God He is God and I am not.

I Found God today in a reminder to trust Him and that His plan will come to fruition.

Permalink