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Future Policeman

Posted by eph21920 on July 19, 2016 in Stranger

My dad has been trying to get the garage door serviced for weeks now. The first time it was scheduled, the serviceman had to cancel as he had a sick child. So we rescheduled. My mom was in the hospital on the date of the second appointment, so we cancelled and rescheduled. The third time, the company called us back again apologizing that the serviceman had a sick child at home. Finally today, a young man showed up on time and completed the work. When he was finished, my dad and I tested everything out and my dad invited him in while he went to get his checkbook. I asked the young man if he was the one with the sick child. He said no, but his co-worker with the sick child was a single dad with 3 kids and going through a very hard time of it. He said the company was trying very hard to work with him as they did not want to let him go. He said he was going to visit him after work to see how he was doing. Then the young man noticed some of the beer steins that my parents collected. He asked if we had been in Germany. I told him we were there as my dad was in the military and stationed there. He was also in the military and stationed in Germany. My dad came into the room and they chatted a little about the military. The young man was so respectful and polite with his, “Yes, sir’s”. He was in the army and would go into the field and search for IED’s. He said he was hit 4 times – the first 2 times were not bad, the 3rd time he was unconscious for 20 minutes, the 4th time he was out for 2 hours. He decided he better stop after that before he was out for good. He said he wanted to be a police officer. My dad tried to deter him saying what a difficult and dangerous way to make a living. But the young man persisted. He said our country was in need of policemen especially now. Before he left, I thanked him for his service and encouraged him to pursue his passion and be one of the good cops. I suppose it is appropriate at this time to note that I am white and he was black. I intend to keep him and his single dad co-worker in my prayers.

I Found God today in an incredibly respectful, caring, and compassionate young man.

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Not A System – A Marriage

Posted by eph21920 on July 18, 2016 in Answer, Family, Healing, Life, Marriage, Struggles

Today the occupational therapist visited the house. She talked to my mom about helping her get back to doing the regular things she does around the house. One concern that was brought up last week was the height of the bed. My parents have an old 4-poster bed that has been their possession since early on in their 64 year marriage. Some work was done to the frame so it would hold a very large, comfortable mattress. At this point, it was difficult – if not impossible – for my mom to get in and out of it by herself. My dad is a sentimental man and did not want to have to remove the bed. But, a few days ago, we took the frame apart and set the box springs and mattress on the floor. This put it at just the right height for my mom to get in and out with no problem. We were able to keep the headboard in place, so part of their old bed is still there. This was a big sacrifice for my dad. My mom showed the new style bed to the occupational therapist who was glad that it was a safer option. The two of them went through some chores that my mom usually does. My dad was right there to demonstrate how he does his part as well. At the end of the visit, the therapist said that they have a good system in place. My dad responded with, “I don’t call it a system, I call it a marriage.”  Beautiful.

I Found God today in a wonderful witness to the beauty of marriage.

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Rowing With Both Oars

Posted by eph21920 on July 17, 2016 in Answer, Faith, Jesus, Life, Prayer, Priest

I often have a problem with being very busy and not spending enough time talking with God. I can always find things that need to be done, but am not always good at making time for prayer, meditation, and/or reading things that are good for the soul. Then I begin to lose my peace. The scripture reading at church today was Luke 10:38-42; the story of the opposition between worker Martha and her sister Mary who prefers to sit at the feet of Jesus, listening to His words. Jesus tells Martha that she is worried and anxious about many things, and that there is need of only one thing – that which Mary has chosen. The priest told a story of a young monk who was troubled with the order’s motto of, “Pray and Work”. One day the abbot took the young monk out to the water and got into a rowboat. The abbot started rowing with only one oar. The boat simply went around in circles. The monk told that abbot that he needed to used both oars in order for them to get anywhere. The abbot responded saying that the left oar was prayer and the right oar was work. There needed to be an equal use of both in order to progress spiritually. The priest challenged us to think about our own spiritual lives and questioned if we were getting anywhere. It was a pretty clear message to me.

I Found God today in a reminder that I need to spend more time with Him.

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God’s Still Here

Posted by eph21920 on July 16, 2016 in Angel, Car, Connected, Friends, Music

When I used to go with groups of youth and adults to Workcamp for a week, each day we would talk about where we saw God in that day. A friend of mine shared a couple of “God Sightings” with me today. One of them was about a friend of his who was driving on the highway in a rainstorm when the car started spinning out of control right in front of a truck. Evidently it took several different spins heading in different directions. She said the whole time she was screaming and calling on God to help her through. The car finally came to a stop facing forward and she was able to pull it over to the edge of the road. There were no collisions, no harm done at all. The truck drive and another person who was in front of her stopped to check on her. They said she had an angel watching over her. The second “God Sighting” was as my friend was driving and thinking about the tragedies that we have been inundated with, one of the Workcamp songs came on his iPod shuffle of 4500 songs. It was “You Never Let Go” by Matt Redman. Both of these stories were good reminders that God is still with us and that He continues to try to get our attention.

I Found God today in 2 great stories shared by a friend.

 

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Ready For Rest

Posted by eph21920 on July 15, 2016 in Doctor, Family, Grateful, Healing

It has been one week since my mom has been home from the hospital. In this period of time, she has had 4 doctor’s appointments, 3 visits from a physical therapist, 1 visit from the occupational therapist, 1 visit from a nurse, and countless phone calls from various medical places just to check up on her. When she first arrived home, my dad and I took turns taking her to the bathroom, getting her settled in the bed for a nap or for the night, helping her stand up and sit down, and following her as she moved from one place in the house to another. One morning, my poor sleepless dad tagged me in saying, “Yay! The day shift has arrived!” Today, we feel comfortable letting her go around in her walker on her own taking care of what she needs to do as she has improved so much. Her determination and strong will never cease to amaze me. Now, we are looking forward to a little rest from activity.

I Found God today as I look back over the week and realize how much my mother has improved and what a blessing it has been to have so many people watching over her.

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We Are Blessed

Posted by eph21920 on July 14, 2016 in Answer, Food, Grateful, Life

I made a quick trip to the grocery store today. I recognized the man at the checkout who I had seen before working in the produce. He was always cheery and chatty. When it came to my turn, he asked what good thing I was up to today. The question caught me off guard and I had to think about it for a moment. It was funny as my mom and I were just talking about how important it is to think about the good things and try not to dwell on the bad. the checkout guy shared a thought he had heard before. He said if you have some money in the bank – doesn’t have to be a lot, but some – and if you have some food in your refrigerator – doesn’t have to be a lot, but some – then you are better off than about 75% of the population of the world. That is reason enough to have a good day. There are several versions to this thought that can be found online, but the point remains the same. It was a good reminder for me.

I Found God today in a good reminder of how blessed I actually am.

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Better Than Text

Posted by eph21920 on July 13, 2016 in Connected, Friends, Humor, Joy, Laughter

Usually the only mail I get is bills, solicitations, or advertising. I was excited when I saw an envelope hand addressed to me. It was from my good friend who I saw in the hospital when my mom was getting ready to go into surgery. Her sister was getting ready to go into surgery at the same time. It was strange to meet there to say the least. Her sister is fine now, by the way. So, as I turned the envelope over to open it, there was some writing near the flap that said, “Isn’t this better than getting a text?” Yes, yes it was. My friend had sent me a card just to let me know that I was on her mind. It was somewhat humorous, so it brought me laughter, joy, and a warm heart. I did text her to say thank you.

I Found God today in a thoughtful card sent by a good friend.

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Prayer and Peace

Posted by eph21920 on July 12, 2016 in Faith, Jesus, Peace, Prayer

I have been talking to God a lot over the past week and a half since my mom’s heart attack and additional medical issues. But I have been completely off my usual routine and what I would call my “formal” prayer time. Later this morning I decided it was time to get my room cleaned up and some laundry done. As I was tidying up, I put on some of my favorite Christian music. Then I spied a prayer card with one of my favorite pictures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on it. I immediately felt a deep sense of peace wash over me. I stopped what I was doing, picked up my little stack of prayers, and started going through them. Then I read some scripture. I don’t know how long I spent, but it was a welcomed respite. My laundry isn’t all done and my room isn’t all clean, but I felt like I was able to continue the day with some stress lifted from my soul.

I Found God today in some formal prayer time and a sense of His peace.

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Her Name Was Mary

Posted by eph21920 on July 11, 2016 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Family, Grateful, Healing, Mary, Peace

As my mom continues on her road to recovery, we have set up Home Health Care. My dad has struggled with the concept and having many different people treating my mom. Today a nurse was scheduled to come in and check the surgery incision and drain site. Her name was Mary. I prayed pretty much all last night that she would not only be a caring nurse, but that she would help my dad have some peace with this whole arrangement. I asked for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus. I felt it was no coincidence that they had the same name. This morning as we talked of the visit, my dad said he wondered if the nurse Mary was Catholic. When she arrived, it was obvious that she had a very calm demeanor. When she entered my parents room, she commented how beautiful the large rosary was that is hanging on the wall. My dad asked if she was Catholic. She said she was and that her father is a priest. Now there’s something you don’t hear very often. She told us that after her mother died, her father went back to take theology courses and eventually became a priest. After that, she pretty much said and did all the right things. She assured us that my mom’s wounds are healing well. She said things that were very meaningful to me and my parents that she probably didn’t even know about. The whole visit was very comforting and calming. We were all very grateful.

I Found God today in a visit from Mary that brought peace to the household.

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Making Meals

Posted by eph21920 on July 10, 2016 in Family, Food, Generosity, Grateful

My sister who is here for the weekend spent most of yesterday making out a menu and shopping for food to put together some freezer bag dinners for us. She was up bright and early this morning chopping vegetables. Once she got all the onions, garlic, zucchini, peppers, parsley, cilantro, ginger, (probably forgetting something) lemon and orange zest and juice prepared, we went to work assembling. Using the meal plan and recipes she found, we put a cup of this, a teaspoon of that, a handful of this, sometimes a can of that, and some meat all together in a freezer bag. We made 18 wonderful dinners all self contained. All I have to do is decide what to make for dinner, thaw out a bag, and follow the directions on the recipe. I was incredibly grateful for all the time and energy she spent to help make things a little easier.

I Found God Today in my sister’s loving generosity, companionship, and support.

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