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Powerful Reminder

Posted by eph21920 on February 24, 2016 in Eucharist, Faith, Jesus, Music, Youth

I have been participating in a “retreat” held in one of classrooms in the church for the past few weeks. It is a 10-week session called “Consoling the Heart of Jesus” by Fr. Michael Gaitley. It is pretty deep theology, but I love it. Tonight we finished a few minutes early so we could go upstairs into the church where Eucharistic Adoration was being held. I went in and realized that it included contemporary praise and worship music. It was also being offered in place of the usual Jr. High and High School class and the parents were encouraged to attend. The church was full of youth and adults singing and praying. I was immediately reminded of the many times I was able to introduce and experience Adoration with youth that I taught. I thought of the wonderful and sometimes life changing effect that it was to witness the real, true presence of Jesus Christ. It is like a taste of Heaven. I prayed for all the youth I had ministered to and all the youth and families in that church. I had my own little peace of Heaven and was so grateful for the unexpected surprise.

I Found God today in remembering His powerful and peaceful presence.

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I Have a Nun

Posted by eph21920 on February 23, 2016 in Bible, Faith, Family, Lent

Today I got a call from my son in college. It is always good to hear from him. He is trying to figure out exactly how to schedule his summer and hopefully final year in school while completing his master’s thesis. We went back and forth discussing some different options when he said, “Oh, I don’t think I told you that I have a nun.” “A what?” “A nun” “A nun – N-U-N?” “Yes” “Where did you meet her?” “Downtown across from the cathedral.” “How did that happen?” “I drove there.” After I refused to play 20 questions, he told me the story. The Newman Catholic Community there on campus was offering a retreat for Lent. My son plays music for the Mass celebrations, so he knows the campus minister very well. According to him, she strongly encouraged him to participate in the retreat, so he signed up. The retreat involves reading specific scripture and meeting 4 times with one of the sisters who live downtown. He had already met with “his nun” once. I asked if she was young. He said she is older. I asked if she was full of elderly holy wisdom. He said she was hilarious and also full of wisdom. It is funny, as I was reading my Lent meditation this morning, I was wondering if my son was doing any type of specific devotion. He has a crazy busy schedule this semester and, as I said, is trying to get everything in place for his near future. I was so happy and proud of him for making the time to deepen his relationship with God. I am sure it will be well worth the effort.

I Found God today in my son’s extra commitment to God during Lent.

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God Was Already There

Posted by eph21920 on February 22, 2016 in Answer, Grateful, Prayer, Trust

So, I had to make a potentially difficult phone call this afternoon. I thought of it shortly after I woke up and the anxiety set in. I prayed about it and after only a bit I felt that God was already in the situation and not to worry. I thanked God for the insight and tried to let it go and just trust in Him. When it came time to make the call, I prayed some more as I dialed. I was shocked as to how well the conversation went. It was truly completely unexpected. I thanked God immensely once I hung up. I was so glad to have dealt with the issue and have it taken care of in a more than positive way.

I Found God today in an unexpectedly positive situation.

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Strange Scripture

Posted by eph21920 on February 21, 2016 in Bible, Faith, Past, Sacrifice

Today at church, one of the strangest scriptures to me was read. It was the story of God making his covenant with Abram from Gensesis 15. God told him that he would give him as many descendants as the stars, and give him land. Abram asked how he would know that this was true. God told him to get some animals and cut them in half. I remember when I first heard this story a couple of years ago, I was so confused, dismayed, and appalled by this suggestion. But then I learned that this was a normal way of making a covenant with someone at that time. Basically, they would sacrifice animals signifying that if either party would were to break the promise, they would end up the same way. So, God came to Abram in a way that was familiar to him, that he understood. I think He does the same thing for us now. Sometimes we think God is nowhere to be found. Perhaps we are not paying attention. I do think He shows Himself in grandeur from time to time to certain people. But mostly He is present in the familiar – in a phone call or text from a friend you were just thinking about, reaching out to someone in need at just the right time, encouraging words that you needed to hear, in the written words of the Bible, and in the beauty of nature. Thank God we do not have to make animal sacrifices to understand God’s immense love. Through Jesus Christ, He made the promise that each of us can be with Him forever. It is up to us to acknowledge Him or not.

I Found God today in promises He made.

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A Friend’s Big Birthday

Posted by eph21920 on February 20, 2016 in Birthday, Family, Friends

My mom’s close friend had the big 80 birthday today. Her daughters planned a wonderful party for her, so I took my mom. Unfortunately, my dad was a little under the weather and was unable to go. We met up with the group of family and good friends at one of the birthday girl’s favorite restaurants for lunch. Her three daughters were there to help celebrate. One of them even flew in from out of state. When I was younger, our families would get together for significant celebrations such as marked birthdays and anniversaries, but I had not seen the children for many years. It was fun and interesting catching up with them. One of them said the last time she saw me I had long curly hair and was wearing jeans and a blue down coat. That was me in high school. I was pleasantly surprised, though, as to the natural flow of the conversations. My mom’s friend comes to visit, so I knew enough about the girls and it was great to see them in person. Each of them found a different path in life – of course – but they all had a beautiful, caring heart. It is funny how when you’re young, you really don’t know what someone’s future holds – not even your own. It was a wonderful party with amazing food and my mom had a great time. She and the birthday girl have been good friends for about 40 years now – definitely a meaningful celebration.

I Found God today by celebrating a beautiful family friend and seeing that beauty passed to her daughters.

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Here Kitty

Posted by eph21920 on February 19, 2016 in Connected, Creation, Family

Last summer we got my dad a “game cam” for Father’s Day. We thought it would be fun to put it up at their cabin in the mountains to capture animal activity. We were pretty sure that we found bobcat tracks just up the road from the house. It took a few months to figure out the best place to put the camera, but not too long ago we found a good spot and it started taking pictures of the wildlife. We saw the proof that there was in fact a bobcat who was wandering around near the house. In January we brought my son and his girlfriend to the cabin and looked for the bobcat the whole time, calling “Here kitty, kitty!” But, no luck. My parents and I were able to make our way back up there today and checked out the new pictures. We found 2 instances of the bobcat. The first one was the day after we visited last time. I thought that was kind of funny. I sent the pictures to my son and his girlfriend so they could see that the bobcat came to the calls, but was just a day late.

I Found God today in wildlife and funny timing.

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Into Peace

Posted by eph21920 on February 18, 2016 in Faith, Forgiveness, Grateful, Peace

Life can be very hectic here. When there is no emergency situation, the time includes going to doctor appointments, planning family events, and basic daily living chores. Sometimes it is very quiet, other times the air is filled with a TV too loud for my liking and people speaking even louder to make sure they are being heard. Whatever condition or situation life is in, we all need to step into peace. I had a meeting at the church tonight and was grateful to be able to leave a little bit early. I spent some time in Eucharistic Adoration just sitting quietly in the presence of Christ. It wasn’t just quiet though, it was peaceful. I was also grateful to be able to participate in Reconciliation. I shared my struggles with the priest and he in turn gave me suggestions on how to deal with the issues and move forward in a positive way. He actually told me some things that were already on my heart, thus affirming what I felt God was saying to me. After speaking with the priest, I was able to spend a few more minutes with Christ before my meeting. I felt as if I breathed a huge sigh of relief, as if a large weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was at peace.

I Found God today in His peace.

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Most Important

Posted by eph21920 on February 17, 2016 in Family, Life

Today my mom had her voice therapy class with just her and one other participant. The therapist engaged them in normal conversation to help them remember to speak loud and clear. She asked them leading questions and encouraged the dialogue. The answers they gave to the questions were wonderful. They were asked, “What is one thing that you would do over again if you could?” They both said they could not think of anything. “What about something you would have always liked to buy?” Again – they could not think of anything. Finally, my mom said that she wished she would have been able to travel to Australia. “Who is someone that you really admire?” Both women answered it was their daughters who were helping to care for them. “What is your idea of a perfect night?” Their answers were being with their children or having a quiet night reading or just having conversation. I thought it was enlightening. When we are young, we can think of all kinds of things we want to buy and things we want to do. These beautiful older women had no regrets, no desire for lavish things, and their families were the most important things they talked about. When all “things” are stripped away, that is what it really all comes down to.

I Found God today in a reminder of what is really important in life.

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Just Start Writing

Posted by eph21920 on February 16, 2016 in Answer, Connected, Family

One of my parents’ friends came for a visit today. She comes every week to chat and play piano duets with my mom. Last week she brought a game called Spinners which is similar to dominoes. We played about half the game last week and finished it up this morning. My mom won by a landslide. Further proof of her recovery. We always catch up on how the family is doing. My dad told their friend about my brother who is journeying across the country. He has been talking about doing some photography and/or writing along the way. He has shared some pictures that are pretty astounding, but we have yet to see any kind of blog. My dad has some writing experience and has a published college textbook. He said that the biggest waste of time for a writer is the time before getting started. He has encouraged my brother to just start writing. My brother called this afternoon and was excited to tell us about a decision he made while lying awake last night listening to a storm. He decided that he is going to start writing. He said he doesn’t want to waste any more time thinking about it – he is just going to begin right now, right where he is. To me, that showed how connected we are, even though miles apart.

I Found God today in the connection my brother and dad had.

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Regaining Strength

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

After my mom had a stroke on Halloween, she made an incredible recovery. However, even though she appeared to be back to normal, she felt very weak. She had no energy, got short of breath very easily, and was fatigued after doing just a little. Her doctor sent her to physical therapy. She met with the therapist once before Christmas, then started the regular sessions after the first of the year. My mom has been very committed to going and doing the exercises at home just about every day – regardless of how she feels. Today when the therapist started her on the exercise bike, my mom thought it was on the lowest setting as it was so easy to pedal. But, it was actually on the higher setting. It was evidence to how much stronger she has become. Then the therapist took her on a walk around to measure if/how much she has improved. When they returned, my mom reported that she walked 3 time further than she did the first time. That was amazing. The therapist congratulated my mom and told her what a great job she was doing. In the car, my mom said she got teary-eyed when she realized how much better she is. She said after the stroke, she was afraid she would never regain her strength and stamina. To me, it is awesome how much my mom has gone through, yet continues to work hard and recover from setbacks.

I Found God today in my mom’s additional recovery.

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