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Thoughts on God

Posted by eph21920 on January 21, 2017 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Life

I woke up this morning tired and cranky for no reason. Before I even opened my eyes, I thought about how I felt kind of achy. I thought about what I had to do  – exercise, usual daily work, etc. – and how I didn’t want to do any of it. I didn’t want to get out of bed. I just wanted to lay there, or maybe watch movies all day. I thought that wasn’t actually going to happen, and I was dragging myself down with these thoughts. I opened my eyes and looked at the picture of Jesus hanging on the wall. I reminded myself that when negative thoughts get stuck in my head, I need to think about Jesus – God – His Love and Care and Mercy. I stretched and thanked God that I was awake for another day. I thanked Him for all He provides for me. I thanked Him for my parents and their health at this particular time. I just started thanking Him for as much as I could. I exercised and started my day. At breakfast, my mom read the daily meditation. The page was all about getting out of your head and putting your thoughts on God. Message received. I was able to go about my day doing the usual daily work, etc. with a much better attitude. The day was much more entertaining than watching movies all day anyways.

I Found God today by trying to keep my thoughts on Him instead of myself.

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Wisdom at the Inauguration

Posted by eph21920 on January 20, 2017 in Faith, Hope, New

I watched some of the inauguration today. Among the drama, strong language, and protests, it was hopeful to hear the different prayers that were spoken. They were words of peace, guidance, and grace. There were actually several references to the need for God’s wisdom. It was a beautiful reminder that God is bigger than this president, than this government, and bigger than the problems in our country. This administration season will come and go, but God’s grace, love, and wisdom is never ending. I appreciated the faith that was shared and trust that these church leaders will be praying for our new president and our country. I know I will be.

I Found God today in words of wisdom from many church leaders.

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Angel in the Sky

Posted by eph21920 on January 19, 2017 in Angel, Creation, Family

We had a little break from the winter weather today, so we decided to spend the day at the cabin. The sunshine, the snow on the mountains, and the clear blue sky was just gorgeous. When we arrived and got everything settled, I went out on the deck. The air was so crisp and clear. There was no wind blowing and all I heard was a bird or two chirping in the distance. I exhaled as I basked in the warm sun. My mom noticed a cloud – probably the only one in the sky. She said it looked like an angel. As we watched, the shape changed, but it certainly did look an angel flying across the sky. We all enjoyed the extremely relaxing afternoon and the break from the cold winter weather. We felt like God was smiling upon us.

I Found God today in a beautiful day.

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Learning Pickleball

Posted by eph21920 on January 18, 2017 in Answer, Begin, Friends, Fun, Happiness, Laughter, New

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with a friend about the game “Pickleball”. It seems to be gaining popularity – especially with people in their 40’s and older. I thought it sounded like fun and perhaps it would be something I should learn. This week at the Parkinson’s support group, it was announced that they were starting pickleball. It was open to everyone in the group, it would include lessons on how to play, and it was free. I was all over that. I went to the community center this evening and met up with the small group that was there. It was made up of parkinsonians and caregivers alike. One of the couples had been playing for a while and they brought in the instructor. Everyone was very nice and very patient. The game was fun and pretty easy. It felt great to learn something new, to move and exercise, and to meet new people. All the things I like to do. Then I joined another group of friends for dinner and laughed and laughed. Another thing I like to do.

I Found God today spending some time spending a little “me” time.

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Chatty Men

Posted by eph21920 on January 17, 2017 in Food, Joy, Life, Stranger

Today I went to lunch with my dad, mom, and a family friend. We tried a new restaurant and sat at a large booth with a large table. It was a little difficult to carry on a conversation as the music in the background was a little too loud and the booth behind me held 6 very chatty men. We asked the waitress if the music could be turned down and she got right on it. When our lunch came, we all got very quiet as we dug in to the delicious food. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it was pretty easy to hear the chatty men behind me. They had several different conversations going on at the same time. They talked about wildlife and hunting and children and wives. After lunch, they lingered in the parking lot, still talking. They thanked each other for coming and exchanged man-hugs. We commented on how nice it was to see a group of men enjoying each other’s company so much.

I Found God today in a group of men enjoying friendship.

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Not My Schedule

Posted by eph21920 on January 16, 2017 in Answer, Faith, Family, Life, Plan, Problem

Some words from this morning’s meditation really touched my heart, “Your desire to feel in control is often the culprit behind your frustration. You plan your day and expect others to behave in ways that expedite your plans. When that doesn’t happen, you face a choice: to resent the situation or to trust Me (God). Remember that I am in control and My ways are higher than yours – as the heavens are higher than the earth.” It seems I need to learn this over and over every day – or more like several times every day. For years I was used to having so much to do working full time with hours all over the place, raising a son pretty much on my own, meals, grocery shopping, housework, etc. etc. I would always have a plan for each day and squeeze as much into it as I could before I would collapse into bed at night. Now, I never know what any day will bring. I try not to plan out everything that I want to get done. The reality is that caring for my parents is priority #1. Each day brings a new challenge and that will preempt any kind of “schedule” I may have in my head. For example, today I had lunch warm and on the table ready to eat. My dad complained about something in his eye. He tried putting in several eye drops, but that didn’t work. He flushed it with water with no results. I looked in it, but couldn’t see anything. He tried the pull your eyelid down over your bottom eyelashes trick – nothing. My mom made her way into her room to pull out her handy dandy home remedy book. In the mean time, my dad was laying on the sofa continuing with drops and explaining that he could feel it in different places. I got out the magnifying glass and looked all around again. This time I found the culprit. There was a hair curled up in his eye. I held his eye open so it wouldn’t move and managed to get a damp tissue. After a couple of attempts, I finally got the hair out which resulted in immediate relief. We all rejoiced, warmed lunch back up again and sat down over half an hour later to eat. I thanked God for being in control.

I Found God today in a reminder that my time and schedule is not the same as God’s.

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Celebrating and Resting

Posted by eph21920 on January 15, 2017 in Birthday, Family, Friends, Fun, Happiness, Laughter, Life

Yesterday, my sisters came for the day. We celebrated one of my sister’s birthday. I really enjoy putting together events, even small family parties. I have so much fun deciding what kind of cake to make and what kind of dinner to have. After the family celebration, we went to a painting party to celebrate some friend’s birthdays along with my sister’s. This was the second time I had been to this kind of event. This time I wasn’t as afraid to begin putting paint on the blank canvas. I was surprised at how much I had learned from the first experience and was able to make some adjustments that actually worked. Of course, much of the fun is spending time with friends. As we visited, I realized that I hadn’t seen some of the people in a year. I just don’t know how that time goes by so fast. The evening was filled with creativity and laughter. When we returned home, my sisters, my dad and I lovingly critiqued our artwork. I put my picture next to my first and was happy to see some improvement. It was a wonderful day. So wonderful, that I slept more than my fair share today.

I Found God today celebrating followed by resting.

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A Parkinson’s Story

Posted by eph21920 on January 14, 2017 in Answer, Grateful, Opportunity, Sick, Struggles

My mom and I went to the Parkinson’s support group. I was excited to hear about a new therapy that is available. The medication is received via a pump and a tube that is inserted into the stomach. One of the big benefits is that the patient receives the same amount of medication throughout the day even during hospitalizations. This was such a big problem when my mom was in rehab. She wasn’t getting her medications on time and it was a constant battle. I heard a little about the new therapy and thought it sounded like a great idea. One of the patients spoke about his own experience with the device and how much it had helped him. He was struggling to have get his symptoms under control without having dyskinesia or uncontrolled movements. He would go from one extreme of not being able to move to the other. I was so impressed with this man’s courage and ability to share his story with the group. Even though he was not perfectly controlled, he was clear in his message and humorous. It was difficult for him, but he had such a great attitude. However, the more I heard about the device, the more I realized the system would be too complicated for my mom. I didn’t say anything, but my mom did as we were standing in line for lunch. She said point blank , “I don’t think this system is for me.” I agreed. It is so good to be on the same page with my mom as we look into more information about Parkinson’s and find the best way to manage the disease.

I Found God today in a courageous man and learning more about my mom’s disease and the treatment options that are available.

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Secure Your Mask First

Posted by eph21920 on January 13, 2017 in Answer, Friends, Life

I had lunch with a friend today. At one point we were talking about how challenging life can be at times. She said how important it is to take care of yourself. Her motto follows the instructions you hear in the airplane before you take off – in an emergency, an oxygen mask will drop down, if you are travelling with children or someone who needs assistance, secure your own mask first, then assist the other person. My friend said that makes so much sense. You can’t be much help to anyone if you aren’t taking care of yourself first. It isn’t selfish – it is necessary. I loved her analogy and appreciated her words of wisdom.

I Found God today with a reminder of how important it is to take care of myself.

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Barnacles on the Ship of Life

Posted by eph21920 on January 12, 2017 in Answer, Doctor, Grateful, Humor, Laughter

My dad had another doctor appointment today. This one was with the dermatologist. My dad had a couple of spots that were concerning to my mom and me. The first one to see him was the intern. He made the rounds with his can of liquid nitrogen and froze some pre-cancerous spots. Those that we were most worried about turned out to be fine. The intern called them “wisdom spots”. My dad liked the sound of that. After a bit, the doctor came in for a double check. My dad proudly told him about his “wisdom spots”. He took a look at them and agreed they were nothing to worry about. He said they were “barnacles on the ship of life”. I thought that was one of the funniest things I heard. We laughed about it all afternoon. We were all happy for two appointments in two days with good news and joyful doctors. It helped to re-energize my dad.

I Found God today in good news and joyful doctors.

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