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Finding Peace

Posted by eph21920 on January 1, 2017 in Answer, Faith, Family, New, Peace

A New Year has arrived! I spent the evening last night with my sisters and parents just hanging out and playing games. My mom made it until 9 pm. My sisters and I hustled her into the car so we could go see the “early fireworks”. They were less than spectacular, but it was fun to get out anyways. She went promptly to bed when we returned home. My dad, sisters and I popped the cork on the champagne at 11 pm and toasted before my dad turned in. My sisters and I watched a few minutes of the countdown, rang in the new year, and lasted about 10 more minutes. I felt quite old. I thought about a new year’s resolution, but that was about it – a thought. Today the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day of Peace along with the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. The scripture readings at Mass included, “The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!” Those words struck my heart and I realized that is exactly what I desire for this upcoming year – peace. I know things will get hectic and unexpected things will happen. How will I acquire this much longed for peace? First, I need to get my prayer life back in order. With the busy-ness of the holidays, my alone time with God has dwindled which just seems wrong because that is what Christmas is about. I will also be more grateful for  – well everything. If I just look back at the past year I can see how God blesses me each day, sometimes in big ways but mostly in small ways. If I can be more aware of those blessings during the day, I will be more aware of how much God loves me and takes care of me and those I love and pray for. I will be more at peace. I think that is one blessing of a new year –  it gives us the opportunity to review, recommit, and renew.

I Found God today realizing God’s abundant blessings and recommitting to my relationship with Him.

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Plowed Driveway

Posted by eph21920 on December 30, 2016 in Answer, Friends, Grateful, Weather

We headed up to the cabin in the mountains today. It was the warmest day we will have for a while and it was absolutely gorgeous. The snow covered mountains and the crystal blue sky was such a beautiful sight. Since we had quite a frigid spell and snow, we didn’t know what to expect at the house. The dirt roads leading to the place are maintained, but the driveway of course is not. It is a steep pitched drive that leads downhill to the front door, along the side of the house, then up again and out. There is always a big ledge of snow at either end from the plow. We usually park on the road and carefully walk down, making a path to help my mom. When we arrived today, we saw that there was not the usual berm at the top of the driveway. Upon further inspection, we realized that the driveway had been completely plowed out. We were able to drive right down. There was even a path to the front door and the porch had been shoveled. We were so happy for this unexpected gift. My mom could more easily make here way in and we didn’t have to do any shoveling. My dad went through all his checks in the house and everything was looking good. He spoke to one of the neighbors earlier in the week about heading up, so we knew he was the one who took care of the plowing and shoveling.

I Found God today in a very helpful neighbor and an easy, beautiful trip.

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Cheerful People

Posted by eph21920 on December 29, 2016 in Happiness, Joy, Stranger

We had several errands to run today and I anticipated that there would be a lot of people out. There were. But people were very happy and helpful. My dad found an item that he had been looking for with the help of the sales clerk in the store and got some other questions answered by the helpful checkout person. There was a very cheerful man in line behind us that chatted with my dad. Kids held the door open for me. I got a discount at the UPS store as I had a package to mail. Even in the busy grocery store, people were polite and considerate of one another. I overheard a couple of pop-up conversations as I went through the aisles. Perhaps it was Christmas cheer – I don’t know. But it made it very pleasant as I spent the afternoon running around.

I Found God today in generally cheerful people.

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Brother Brought Joy

Posted by eph21920 on December 28, 2016 in Family, Home, Joy, Relationship

My brother who came for Christmas headed home today. After a couple weeks of festivities and company, it is a very quiet house now. My parents and I took care of some things that needed attention and just kind of hung out for a while. I had made some gingerbread cookies that we didn’t have a chance to decorate, so we did some of those tonight. My dad talked about how nice it was to have people there. He especially appreciated his time with my brother as we don’t see him often. They talked computers and cabin projects and things that I just don’t have the knowledge for. It was easy to see the enthusiasm and joy it brought to my dad. I tried to talk my brother into coming every month – just for a weekend. I don’t think that will work, but he is planning on making another visit in the Spring. That will be great. I always love seeing my parents perk up when other people come around. I also love spending time visiting with others – especially family.

I Found God today in the joy my brother brought to my dad.

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You’re Amazing

Posted by eph21920 on December 27, 2016 in Humor, Joy

Last month for my birthday, I received a helium balloon with the words, “You’re Amazing” along with a bouquet of flowers and hearts. It is a mylar type, so it keeps the helium in it for a very long time. Recently, though, it has been hanging low from the string it is tied to. Today I cut it from the string but left a little tail on it still. It still was flying quite low. So I trimmed the string tail back little by little until it just hovered about on it’s own. It caught the air currents in the house and would just float around like it was on a journey. Every now and again it would show up right in front of someone. It was as if it was reminding everyone that, “You’re Amazing”. It was very entertaining.

I Found God today in an amusing and positive message.

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Able to Thrive

Posted by eph21920 on December 26, 2016 in Answer, Faith, Family, Life

My parents have been enjoying receiving their Christmas cards and reading the letters that help catch them up with friends and family. My mom was reading one letter in particular and started crying. The letter was about her cousin who she grew up with. Her cousin had a daughter with a muscular disease that left her unable to move and care for herself. When the daughter reached her teenage years, her mother was no longer able to lift her, so she placed her in a care facility nearby. But the relationship continued and grew. They saw each other often. The letter told of how the daughter – now an adult well into her middle years – had just gotten a job as a greeter at a local store. My mom said she admired her cousin so much for raising her daughter – along with 6 other siblings. She couldn’t imagine what a difficult task that must have been. My mom was so emotional thinking of the sacrifices that her cousin made for the well being of her children. And the daughter whose future was uncertain, thrived and is able to do more than was once anticipated.

I Found God today as my mom recognized His grace in an imperfect situation.

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Celebrating

Posted by eph21920 on December 25, 2016 in Faith, Family, Food, Grateful, Joy

After spending almost a week with my son and his girlfriend, unfortunately, it was time for them to head to their next destination. At the same time, other family members came to celebrate Christmas. Yesterday morning we took my son’s girlfriend to the airport and she made it home safely to spend Christmas with her family. In the afternoon, my sister and my brother came into town. We went to Mass in the evening and got there at the perfect time to get a parking space and good seats. The priest talked about how it is easy to be fearful at this time in our world, but Christ came into the world to offer us a better way. To live in faith of a loving God means to live in hope and peace – even in volatile situations – and to do our best to show that to those around us. Not easy, but that is why we need Him to be part of our lives. As we left the church we sang, “Joy To the World” all the way to the car. Then we drove around a little to look at Christmas lights. This morning my son and I got up before sunrise and headed to the airport for his flight. The roads were packed with slushy snow and it was foggy making it difficult to see. We said a prayer as we started out. It is a little over an hour to the airport and I was glad when about half way things cleared up, the sky grew a little lighter, and I was able to relax a bit. I got one last big bear hug from my son as I dropped him off to fly out and spend the next week with his brother’s family. On the way home the sun was just peeking above the horizon creating a pink glow on the nearby mountain range. There were layers of black, grey, and pink clouds in various shapes hovering at different altitudes. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the stormy sky. I was listening to Christmas music and a song came on that really struck me. It was about children who don’t have a permanent home and how their Christmas wish is to have a family and people who will love and nurture them. I thought about the foster kids that I have just started to volunteer with. Many of them are in group homes. I wondered how they were spending Christmas. I wondered what else I might be able to do for them. And I prayed for them. Once back home, my other sister and her husband arrived. We spent the day eating, visiting, and opening gifts. My traveling brother called to video chat on his computer so he was able to see what the presents were. We even played a game all together. By the time this evening rolled around, I felt as if I have been celebrating for weeks already – which I suppose is both a good and a bad thing. It has been somewhat hectic, but mostly joyful, spiritual, and blessed. I am grateful to spend the time with family and that traveling has been safe.

I Found God today celebrating Christmas.

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Christmas Preparation

Posted by eph21920 on December 23, 2016 in Advent, Faith, Family, Food, Fun

The other day before my son arrived, his girlfriend and I made gingerbread dough. Then we cut out pieces for a house and baked them. Yesterday we all worked on putting it together and decorating it. This was the first time my son’s girlfriend made a gingerbread house, so that made it even more enjoyable. There was much discussion, planning, and taste testing before starting on the decorations. Of course, the house turned out beautiful and we started planning a more elaborate one for next year. We also put up the Christmas tree, stockings, and other decorations. My mom’s friend came by with her annual chocolate peppermint roll that we sampled tonight. My mom and I baked her special fruit bread that she makes and shares every year and it also turned out just wonderful. Today I received the new pictures of my son, his wife, and grandchildren in their annual Christmas box. My older grandson is officially a teenager and it really shows in this year’s photo. In the midst of it all, we have been reading Advent meditations each day that my mom received. It can be so easy to forget why this holiday exists in the first place when there is so much busy-ness, so I try to keep Christ in mind during the day and not to put too much pressure on doing too much. I have really been enjoying Christmas preparations the past couple of days.

I Found God today preparing for Christmas.

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Shopping Night

Posted by eph21920 on December 21, 2016 in Family, Fun, Humor, Laughter

I took my son and his girlfriend shopping tonight. We were out too late and I think I got too tired. I kept dropping things – it was ridiculous and funny at the same time. We even stopped to get a snack before we headed home so my son could get the full “Sonic” experience since he had never been there before. It was just a lot of fun to be with them and to laugh a lot.

I Found God today enjoying an evening of joy with my son.

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Near Accident

Posted by eph21920 on December 20, 2016 in Answer, Car, Family, Grateful, Problem

After a cancelled flight the other day, my son finally made it in for a visit. His girlfriend and I went to the airport in the “big city” to pick him up. It was so good to see him walk through the arrival area. My nephew lives in the city, so we decided to meet up with him for lunch. There were so many cars on the road it was very hectic to drive in. After lunch we got ourselves set up on the gps for the best way home. I started off in the middle lane of three so I would be ready to move either left or right according to the directions. I entered the first intersection and as I did, I realized a car coming from the other direction decided to turn left at the same time – literally right into us. And he was going fast. Everything happened in a split section, yet several thoughts went through my head at the same time as to how to have the least damage from what was going to be a t-bone collision. At first, I tried braking, but the oncoming car did not appear to be slowing down in any way. I wondered if the driver even saw us at all. I knew that if I stopped, it would be a direct hit. So I decided to try to get out of the way. My foot slammed onto the accelerator as hard as it could and I swerved to the right. I waited for the impact on the back of the car. It never happened. Once we were out of the intersection, I looked in the rear view mirror. Evidently the car had made it’s way through and somehow managed to avoid hitting us. I was shocked. I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know how I was able to think of what to do in that split second of time. But I do know that what appeared to be a definite accident did not occur and that we were protected. We drove home and I am headed to bed tonight extremely grateful.

I Found God today in protection from what could have been a horrible car accident.

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