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Be That Tree

Posted by eph21920 on October 29, 2016 in Creation

I have been reading scripture about Creation and how wonderfully made our world is. I was happy to actually experience nature today. We made a trip to the cabin in the mountains yesterday to enjoy what could be the last beautiful weather before winter. When we looked at the pictures taken by the game cam, it was awesome to find deer as usual, a fox, and 2 bobcats walking together. When I went to bed last night, I left my door to the deck open just a little to let in the fresh air and pretend that I was camping. Sometime during the night I heard what I thought was a dog. As I continued to listen, there was a distinct pattern to the baying. It was likely a coyote. I listened for a while and the sound was too far away to get excited, so I drifted back to sleep. This morning we filled the bird feeders and I sat out on the deck for quite some time watching the birds of all sizes and colors flit back and forth. I thought it was quite an amazing little eco-system of its own. Some of the smaller birds perched at the feeders and dug through the seeds throwing out what they didn’t want. Other birds were happy to come behind and glean off the ground. One little bird was looking intently at me, perhaps trying to figure out what I was. Eventually he flew around my head a bit and landed on my chair to get a closer look. Once he decided I wasn’t that interesting, he flew back to the feeder. In the afternoon I took a long hike by myself armed with a walking stick and pepper spray – just in case. In a particularly wooded area, I scared up a deer only a few feet ahead of me. It took a minute to catch my breath before I continued on. I made my way down into a valley and crossed a little stream that was strewn with multi-colored leaves that once clung to the tree branches. When I returned to the house, I sat on one of my favorite rocks and just enjoyed the scenery and the weather. As the sun descended in the sky, it made for intense colors and long shadows. I took a few pictures and noticed my shadow on one of the tree trunks. It reminded me of a commercial I saw a while back for Arbor Day. A little girl was talking about how much fun is was to play outside and get dirty. She said, ” .. . you can actually be that tree.” I always thought that was a silly statement. But there I was a part of that tree. The day ended with a gorgeous sunset and one lone star in the sky. It was a such a beautiful day.

I Found God today communing with nature.

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Patience at the Checkout

Posted by eph21920 on October 28, 2016 in Patience, Stranger

I try to get to the grocery store during times that are not too busy. However, my latest trip happened about the same time people get out of work and stop at the store on their way home. The check out lanes in the store I go to have what I like to call a traffic controller. When I reached the lanes, they were pretty full. I got behind a man whose cart was overflowing. The traffic controller showed him another lane that would be faster, so he changed to the next one over. After a bit, an older man got behind him with only 2 little pumpkins. The man with the full cart told him he could go first. I thought that was very nice. As the pumpkin man was checking out, a young man holding a few items came up to the man with the cart and asked if he could go before him since he only had a few things. The man said that was fine. But the woman checker did not think it was fine. She told the young man that he had just let the pumpkin man in front of him. The man with the cart insisted that it was OK. The young man stood there in front of him for a few seconds, then evidently found another option. He said nevermind and hurried off. The man with the overflowing cart never got upset, never said anything negative, just calmly made his purchase and headed out. I was impressed.

I Found God today in a very patient man.

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Another Amazing Recovery

Posted by eph21920 on October 27, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Healing, Life, Sick

It has been about 6 weeks now since my mom has come home from her last bout in the hospital and rehab. Since then she has had a nurse, occupational therapy, and physical therapy come to the house to help her continue to gain strength and endurance. When she first came home, we used a wheelchair to take her to doctor’s appointments. Then we moved up to the walker. Today, she just used her cane. She also had her last day of physical therapy at home. I am just in awe at how she has rebounded once again. She is a very strong and determined woman. She decides she is going to get better and works very hard at it. Even the therapists recognized that trait in her. At a doctor’s appointment this week, the doctor who saw her in the hospital said that he was really worried about her and he was very glad to see her doing so well. As my mom and I talked about that on the way home, we realized that she didn’t remember most of the hospital stay and much of her time in the rehab facility. But now, she is up and moving as before, her cognition has improved, she is back to playing the piano, and she still laughs. We both are that much more grateful for the amazing recovery she has made.

I Found God today as my mom made another amazing recovery.

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Life of Laughter

Posted by eph21920 on October 25, 2016 in Connected, Death, Friends, Hope, Laughter

When I worked for a retail store many, many years ago, we were like a family. As time went on, people went many different directions, but a large number of people stayed in touch. One good friend in particular seems to be connected to just about everyone. She contacted me the other day and told me that the woman who used to be my boss was in town and wanted to get together. She and her husband had moved to another state and I had not seen her in about 20 years. A group of us got together tonight. I saw my bosses daughter first who looked older, but mostly the same. Then I spotted my old boss and recognized her right away. She, too, looked older but mostly the same. We got caught up over the last 20 years as if it were just a few days. Her husband passed away a few years ago. She talked about how they would laugh together every single day. She said that at the end of his life, they were laughing about something – she didn’t remember exactly what it was – then he collapsed in her arms and died. While it was painful, she said that was how it was meant to be. She said she knows he is in heaven and realizes that this life is short and should be lived to its fullest every day. That was a very difficult year for her as she was treated for cancer and her mother also died shortly after. She said she figures if she made it through all that, she could make it through anything. She loves her life now, takes things as they come, and makes plans on the spur of the moment. It was so good to see her.

I Found God today in life lessons from an old friend.

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Back Online

Posted by eph21920 on October 24, 2016 in Connected, Family, Grateful

I misplaced my phone the other day. I did everything I knew to do find it with no luck. So, I ended up deactivating it, erasing it, and ordering a new one through the insurance plan. I had to wait a couple of days for it to come in the mail. During that time, I used my computer somewhat, and made calls on the land line. I even used the phone in the car the other day to touch base with my parents. Today the new phone arrived. I spent much of the day getting it activated and set up. I was so glad that I listened to my son’s who taught me how to sync the phone and computer and how to make sure that my photos, calendar, contacts, and important things were backed up. And I was pretty proud of myself for getting everything back on to the new phone. During those few days without my phone, I must admit that it was a bit quieter and I didn’t waste as much time just looking at random videos and such. But I missed being easily connected to friends and family and not being able to take and share photos. This evening as I was texting my family, my mom somewhat jokingly commented how nice it was to hear my phone make it’s little noises.

I Found God today getting reconnected.

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Angel on the Trail

Posted by eph21920 on October 23, 2016 in Angel, Answer, Family, Grateful, Problem, Stranger

It has been just over a year now since my sister broke her leg. She was a long time in a boot and then therapy to learn to walk on it again. Since then she has been working hard to get back to “normal”. She, my other sister, and I decided to go for a hike today in the beautiful Fall weather. The trail we chose started at the top of a canyon. We made our way down to the bottom on the winding path of wooden steps, dirt, and rocks. From there we followed the stream of flowing water. My sister was doing pretty good, but was still a little unstable on the once broken leg. My other sister and I stopped every now and again offering an arm or suggestions to help her navigate the trail. Just over 1 mile in, the trail turned back and crossed the stream using large rocks. We were trying to figure out the best path for my sister and how best to help her get across. Just then, a lone hiker turned up and asked if we needed a hand. We told him our dilemma and he was happy to literally step up and lend a hand. He showed my sister which way to go and offered his hand as she went. At one point, he stood in the water so she could use his foot as the next stepping stone. We thanked him profusely and he responded, “That’s what I’m here for.” Once on the other side, he said, “Just yell if you need me again.” Within a few seconds he was out of sight. We figured he was our angel who came just at the time we needed help.

I Found God today in a helpful stranger who showed up at the perfect time.

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An Old Movie

Posted by eph21920 on October 22, 2016 in Family, Fun, Humor

Today my sister came for a visit. I have been wanting to watch a movie with someone, so we sat down after dinner and flipped through the channels to see if there were any options. An old John Wayne movie was on, so we started watching. We got sucked in and watched the whole thing. Compared with today’s standard, you would say it was somewhat chauvinistic and prejudiced. But it was a cute story void of cursing, violence, and sexuality. My sister and I talked about the differences between movies made a few decades ago with movies made now. This film was not “politically correct” according to today’s standards. But it was honestly funny, exciting, and kept us entertained without over the top graphics, blood and gore, or people abusing one another. At the end we didn’t feel horrified or uncomfortable. It was just clean fun.

I Found God today in an entertaining old movie.

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Parkinson’s Caregivers

Posted by eph21920 on October 21, 2016 in Answer, Connected, Grateful, Hope, Knowledge, New, Struggles

A couple weeks ago, my sister and I went with my mom to a Parkinson’s support group. We all learned so much. At the meeting, a woman who heads the Parkinson’s caregiver group invited me to attend their next session. I was glad to be able to go to the group today. As with the other group I found, each person has their own story and their own particular situation. However, we all have even more in common as we are all caring for a person that has Parkinson’s. The people were all very committed and concerned with taking care of their loved one and keep them at home as long as they can. At the same time, they were realistic about the strength and energy that requires. My mom’s home physical therapy is about to end and it is imperative that she keeps on moving. She has experienced one place for therapy that was pretty good and we were going to contact them again. Today I learned about some other exercise classes specifically for those with Parkinson’s that my mom should be able to attend. I also was given information about how to learn more about the disease and what might be expected in the future. It was almost an overload of information, but it is just what I was hoping for. I was so grateful to meet the people, have discussions about some of my concerns, and get so much information.

I Found God today meeting and talking with people who share the struggles and concerns of caring for one with Parkinson’s.

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Small World

Posted by eph21920 on October 20, 2016 in Connected, Life, Past

A couple of days ago, I was contacted by a young woman I knew from the church I used to work for on the other side of the country. I was surprised to find out that she is now married and lives in the same city as me. We made plans and met for dinner tonight. I recognized her right away and met her husband. He is in the military and was super polite. She didn’t know that I lived in the same place as her. It was just perfect timing that she would contact me after they moved here. We said grace before we ate and then got caught up on everything that was happening with her family, my family, and the people that we mutually knew. We talked about all the different sights to see in the area and how different it is from the east coast. I remember her most as a young high school teenager. But to see her now a young adult and a wife wasn’t really that much of a stretch. She was still a very sweet young woman who was more mature than the last time I saw her. It was so good to meet up with her. It shows what a small world we live in.

I Found God today connecting with a young woman after a few years.

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World of Opportunities

Posted by eph21920 on October 19, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Job, Life, Opportunity

My younger son graduates from college In May with his Master Degree in Computer Engineering. Recently, there was a career fair at his school and he put in several applications and talked with several people. In the past week he has had a couple of interviews and one company even flew him out to Seattle. Another company will be bringing him to Massachusetts next week and he will have a video interview with yet another company. There is a lot going on right now in his life as he is discovering that he will likely not have to worry about getting a job, but his decisions will have to be focused on where he wants to work. The world is his oyster and I am excited for him. We talk often especially as new developments occur. I encourage him to weigh out the pros and cons of each possibility. And I encourage him to pray and allow God to move his heart. God has a wonderful plan for his life and if he can follow His promptings, he will make the right decisions. I am so grateful for our relationship and that I can be a part of this exciting time with him, even though we are miles apart.

I Found God today in my relationship with my son and the wonderful opportunities that are coming his way.

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