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New Birthday Friend

Posted by eph21920 on April 28, 2016 in Birthday, Family, Friends, Happiness, Uncategorized

Today is my dad’s 86th birthday. For a gift, my mom wanted to get him some kind of new electronic device. I remembered that at Christmas time, he saw the Star Wars BB8 droid in a catalog and said how fun that would be to have. My siblings and I did a little research and bought it for him. He was quite surprised. After he unpacked the little droid, he put it on the charger and it came to life. It seemingly looked all around with lights flashing. My dad watched some informational videos and tutorials to figure out how the robot worked. After a while my mom and I heard the Star Wars theme song playing on the iPad. I knew that my dad had downloaded the app and soon BB8 came rolling into the kitchen where my mom and I were making angel food birthday cake. My dad spent much of the afternoon playing with BB8 and watching him roll all around, learning about his new home. The cake didn’t quite turn out, but I managed to make it look pretty and it was still delicious. During the day, we heard from all my siblings too, completing a very happy birthday.

I Found God today in my dad’s happiness as he celebrated another birthday.

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Fear to Mercy

Posted by eph21920 on April 27, 2016 in Faith, Forgiveness, Mercy, Priest

This morning my mom read a paragraph about the peace that is felt when people go to the Sacrament of Confession. It reminded me of the story the priest told at church this past Sunday. The deacon that the priest invited to celebrate Mass with him this week worked in prison ministry. The priest said that the deacon sent an email to all the priests in the area asking if they would consider going to the prison to allow some of those incarcerated to go to Confession. The priest said that was not something that he thought he would be able to do, so he did not reply. The next week, another email was received still asking for priests to go to the prison as the deacon did not get any volunteers. The priest felt the tug on his heart to go, but was not comfortable going. He thought maybe some other priests would feel guilty too and respond, so he did not. The next week another email came through. This time the priest knew that God wanted him to go and he had to respond – which he did. He said he was afraid to go to the prison, which surprised me because he is a big man. He had his own ideas of what it would look like and feel like inside and became more and more nervous as they entered the facility. But when he met the men and was able to hear their confessions, his fear subsided. He said he felt blessed to be an instrument of God’s grace and mercy, to be able to lift burdens off their shoulders. It was funny when he told the story as he was so nervous about going and kept trying to push away the nudge of God. He called himself a “big scardey-cat”.The priest continues to go to the prison on a regular basis to talk with the men and offer the Sacrament of Confession. And in the end, he and the inmates were both very blessed.

I Found God today in the story of a priest and how he and those incarcerated found God in the Sacrament of Confession.

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WWII Vets

Posted by eph21920 on April 26, 2016 in Hope, Past, Sacrifice

My travelling brother spent some time in Washington DC and did some sight-seeing. I looked at his pictures today. When he was at the World War II memorial, there was a ceremony going on to honor some of the veterans themselves. The picture shows about 90 men, half of them in wheelchairs, lined up for their photo opp. My brother said that the park holds ceremonies for the veterans as many days as they are there to visit. I thought about the sacrifice these men made and hoped that a small recognition such as this one would help them to know that they are appreciated.

I Found God today in a bit of appreciation for those who sacrificed much for the greater good.

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Beneficial Laughter

Posted by eph21920 on April 25, 2016 in Answer, Humor, Joy, Laughter

My mom is always reading magazines and articles about health and well being. And most of the time she reads out loud to help her keep her voice strong and to share with my dad and I. Today she read about how laughing can increase the immune cells and antibodies in your system. It was funny – haha –  that my daily inspiration this morning was, “Find some occasion to laugh every day. It is good for the soul.” It seems that having a good attitude and laughing really is beneficial in several ways. So, we laughed a lot today. It did feel good.

I Found God today in a positive attitude and laughter.

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Prison Ministry

Posted by eph21920 on April 24, 2016 in Faith, Family, Grace, Relationship

Today at church a deacon who worked in prison ministry spoke to the congregation. He started by pointing out the stained glass windows around the church. They each had the name of someone or a group of people who donated monetarily to have the window installed. That happened over 100 years ago. The deacon reminded everyone that those people are part of our family. Their contribution, work, and sacrifices started the church there – and not just the building. Then the deacon talked about the men he meets with in jail. He offers a Communion service once a week and coordinates with priests so they can celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He said that they are still part of our family and need to be treated as such. He said you never know when the seeds you plant will take root. He talked about one young man in particular who was addicted to drugs. Another inmate invited him to the Communion service. When he first started going, he sat in the back and was full of anger. The deacon said that the alone time that those incarcerated have gives God an opportunity to work on their hearts. As time went on, the young man’s heart did change and he asked to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. He got into a drug rehab program and is doing his best to stay clean. The deacon said this was one example of how God can change lives. As he spoke he exuded joy and love, and I could see how he was able to draw people into relationship with God.

I Found God today in a joyful, loving, giving man.

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Windy Weather

Posted by eph21920 on April 23, 2016 in Creation, Weather

I was awake unexpectedly early this morning and thought about going out to see if I could find any meteors from the shower that is happening right now. But then I heard the wind. I don’t like the wind at all. But I do like the sound of the trees blowing. So, I laid there listening for a while. When I noticed it getting light, I got up and watched the sunrise. It was truly breathtaking. I went outside briefly in the chilly wind and took some pictures. The brisk wind lasted all day, so other than a quick walk when the sun was peeking out, we spent most of the time inside looking out. Even the birds did not visit the feeders until much later in the evening. One of my favorite smells is pine trees in the mountains. Combine that with rain and it is a double bonus. The wind brought showers through here and there and at one time it was little balls of snow. We could see the little storms flow over the hills and wondered which would make it to our house. While it was not a good day to spend outside, I still enjoyed being surrounded by nature.

I Found God today as I continued to enjoy the beauty of nature.

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Beautiful Earth Day

Posted by eph21920 on April 22, 2016 in Creation, Happiness

My parents and I made our way up to the mountains today. It was such a gorgeous day. On the way we stopped for lunch at a place where we could watch the water rushing down a stream. We always enjoy searching for wildlife along the way and were happy that we got to see some deer. There were signs of other wildlife near the cabin, but we didn’t catch any on the “game cam” that we have set up. My dad and I meandered a bit, just taking in the scenery. I spent a lot of time just hanging out on the deck, listening to the wind in the trees and the chirping of the birds. The evening brought a magnificent sunset. All in all, it was a beautiful way to spend Earth Day.

I Found God today in the beauty of the Earth He created and all that is in it.

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Continued Progress

Posted by eph21920 on April 21, 2016 in Family, Healing, Shopping

My mom and I went out shopping today. This does not happen very often and I was glad she was able to go. We got one of those motorized carts for her to drive around. It has been a few months since last time she used one, but she remembered how to work it. As we went up and down aisles, I could tell that she was feeling much more comfortable. She had a more relaxed demeanor and even spoke to people along the way. Everyone was super nice to her. Once I went down an aisle to grab something while she waited down at the end. A woman walked by and saw her seemingly alone and asked if she was doing OK. A couple of little girls with their mom said hello. People were patient as she was maneuvering the big cart around. My mom even had enough energy to look at some clothing she needed and tried things on. I am amazed at the continued progress she seems to make.

I Found God today realizing that my mom can continue to improve.

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Faith Filled Gift

Posted by eph21920 on April 20, 2016 in Faith, Family, Hope, Prayer, Sick

Today in the mail my mom received a rosary that has some holy water from Lourdes in it. She ordered it from a religious organization with the intent of sending it to her brother and his wife who seem to have an unending amount of medical issues. My mom wants them to know she is praying for them and offering hope as well. She called her brother tonight to get his new address as they recently moved. He was glad to hear from her and told her about his latest episode in the hospital. His wife was at the hospital at one of her regular dialysis appointments. He was trying to be upbeat as always, but you could tell he was having a very rough time of it. After they hung up, my mom got the package ready to send. It included a card that explained how the organization would be praying for them as well. I thought it was very thoughtful and timely.

I Found God today in the thoughtfulness and faith of my mother.

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Another Anniversary

Posted by eph21920 on April 19, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Love, Marriage, Relationship

Today my parents celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. I started the day hearing my mom making a phone call to her doctor, so I went upstairs to see what was happening. My mother has a history of diverticulitis – an infection in the lower intestine. Evidently she woke up early this morning with sever pains that felt just like the infection. She called her doctor and was able to get an appointment. Fortunately, by the time we got there, she was feeling much better. He advised her to wait, watch, eat a bland diet, and call him if she felt it again. So we spent a quiet day at home. My parents typically go to their favorite German restaurant for their anniversary and had planned on going for lunch, but decided this would not be a good day to do so. I felt bad about that, so I made the fanciest bland meal I could think of and set the dinner table for 2 with candles so they could perhaps have a nice dinner by themselves. Throughout the day, they received flowers and a food gift box from family as well as phone calls from all their children. My mom felt pretty good and we were grateful for that. All in all, it was a quiet day, but still full of love.

I Found God today in my parents continued loving relationship.

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