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Celebrating Love

Posted by eph21920 on February 14, 2016 in Family, Love

Happy Valentine’s Day! I love to celebrate holidays and now, I love to help my parents celebrate as well. My dad, mom, and I all managed to get some little surprises and put them secretly on the dining room table before breakfast… cards, candy, flowers, and my dad even got me a DVD. For breakfast I mixed up a special recipe of pancake batter, added some red food coloring, and poured them on the griddle in heart shapes. They were cute and delicious. We exchanged greetings with the rest of the family and looked at adorable pictures of my granddaughter. At church there was a special prayer for couples and I thought of the love my parents have shared over the years as I held my hand over their head in a blessing. After church we went to lunch at one of their favorite places – along with many others celebrating the day. Back at home we chatted with both my brothers. I decided I would let them have a quiet dinner alone, so I set the table, lit some candles, and brought my dinner downstairs. I think they enjoyed their day – I know I enjoyed helping to celebrate.

I Found God today in celebrating love with my parents and family.

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Being a Blessing

Posted by eph21920 on February 13, 2016 in Connected, Family, Healing, Struggles

My sister who broke her leg continues to recuperate even though she still has some bad days when she is in a lot of pain. Today she told me about a friend of hers who was hurt in a horseback riding accident. The woman suffered a broken leg very similar to my sister’s. They have talked often since the accident. The friend told my sister how helpful it was to be able to talk to someone who had experienced the same thing. I thought about how true that statement is. When we are going through something horrible, we often get angry, depressed, or wonder why we have to endure such a thing. It is rare for a person at that time to think that something good will come from it. But later, when we can journey with another person who is facing a similar situation, we can be a blessing to them. Not only that, it feels good to be able to help someone else in this way – to be the blessing.

I Found God today as my sister is a blessing to her friend.

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A Speedy Recovery

Posted by eph21920 on February 13, 2016 in Answer, Friends, Healing

There are still sheets of ice in the circular drive of the complex where we live left over from the big snow storm. Even though the temperature during the day has been like Spring, the big chunks of ice seem to get bigger. The other day as my dad was out for a walk, he came across one of the neighbors who helped out when he took a nasty fall last year. She told my dad that her husband was out trying to chop up some of the ice and had a heart attack. She said that he may have to have a bypass. He was taken to the hospital close to the house. My dad was thinking of paying him a visit. My mom called their house today and was surprised to hear him answer the phone. Evidently the doctors decided to put stents in his heart instead of the bypass and he was already at home and sounding strong. That was such good news. Later we heard some machinery in the drive so went out to investigate. There was a little bobcat bulldozer scraping the ice off the street and dumping it into the grass. We were glad that the ice got cleared away and even happier that a friend was doing well.

I Found God today in a friend’s speedy recovery.

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Blessings in the Day

Posted by eph21920 on February 11, 2016 in Eucharist, Faith, Family, Food, Friends, Grateful

I was feeling so blessed today. Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Of course, I feel blessed because of my encounter at Lourdes when I was a child. I wrote about the specifics of that experience last year. So, her feast day is always on my calendar. There was a special Mass at the cathedral today including Anointing of the Sick. I was so happy my parents wanted to go. They both got anointed and both felt better as the day went on. What a blessing. I feel so blessed that they raised me in faith, helped me to know God, and continue to practice what they have always taught. I am blessed to have been able to go to Mass 2 days in a row – and not even on a weekend – and receive Christ in Communion. It really does make a difference. I remembered a story that a friend shared a couple of weeks ago. She was in a candy store and bought some nonpareils. She was chatting with another customer who said that if they used those at church for communion, they would get a lot more people to come. My friend was stunned that she would make such a comment. Once she got over the shock, she replied that the ones in church are way better. And they are – heavenly.

I Found God today in celebrating Mass with my parents and being able to realize many blessings in the day.

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Lent For Others

Posted by eph21920 on February 10, 2016 in Faith, Family, Lent, Love

Today was my mom’s first session of a group voice therapy. It was a very small group – just 1 other person. She was an older woman who also has Parkinson’s and is living with her daughter. We all went into a room and after some warm-up exercises, the therapist instructed my mom and the other woman on having a conversation with one another. It was evident that the participant really struggled. Her legs were constantly moving and it was very difficult to hear and understand what she was trying to say. My mom strained to listen and piece the words together. She felt bad telling her that she couldn’t hear her. At the end of the session, the therapist asked what they thought. The woman said she thought my mom sounded like she didn’t need the help at all. My mom is able to speak up when she thinks about it, but it is hard for her to keep it that way. Later, I asked my mom if she thought the class would be beneficial to her. She said she thought it would even though her and the other participant are so unevenly matched. It occurred to me that in a group setting, people are there to encourage others. That in itself is helpful to all parties. Perhaps this is my mom’s roll in this particular class. Sometimes we go into a situation thinking it is about us and getting what we want out of it, when in reality, we are there to help others. I thought this was particularly meaningful as we begin Lent. I always think about not only what to “give up”, but also what to do to help strengthen my relationship with God. At church tonight, I realized Lent is not even all about me. It is about others. As we do these things to get closer to God, we get to know Him more. As we do that, we realize that God loves not only us, but those around us. As we realize that more, we understand that our short lives are not all about doing and getting what we want, but it is about love – more specifically loving others. So, during Lent, while I am trying to do all these “things”, I am going to try hardest to put my focus on others. Everyone will benefit then.

I Found God today beginning Lent with an “others” focus.

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Family Joy

Posted by eph21920 on February 9, 2016 in Baby, Connected, Family, Joy

I was so happy today to video chat with my son, his wife, and their kids. I am used to my brothers calling and seeing one face on a phone or ipad, so the 5 of them really filled up the screen. We recapped the football game and my dad put on a bit of a fashion show of previous Super Bowl shirts. My son gave us a video tour of his home office where they were all huddled around his computer. The older grandson has been a teenager for 2 months now and I noticed his voice is getting lower. He was also happy to announce that he is as tall as his mom and has some hairs growing on his upper lip. I was impressed with the expanding vocabulary of my younger grandson. He is as enthusiastic as ever and now in a more articulate way. He really makes me laugh. My granddaughter is now sitting up on her own and of course chewing on everything. Her older brothers loved to make her laugh. The family is just so full of positive energy and life that comes right through the computer. It filled me and my parents with joy.

I Found God today in the contagious joy of family.

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Political Hot Spot

Posted by eph21920 on February 8, 2016 in Connected, Friends, Grateful, Opportunity

There is nothing like politics in New Hampshire. When I first moved to the place, everyone told me about it, but when I first experienced it for myself, I understood. People take politics and their candidates very seriously. And because NH truly is state with small communities, during campaign season candidates turn up literally anywhere. I met a few when I was there and heard many. I no longer live there, but still keep in touch with people who do. Yesterday I got a text from a friend who said she attended Mass with Jeb Bush and his wife and was so excited. Then on social media, another friend said that she just had just offered Communion to Jeb Bush – she was a Eucharistic Minister at the same Mass. I watched some of the recent debate and scanned the crowd but couldn’t make out any faces. Today I came across some pictures of all the candidates in different settings. I recognized many of the places. One in particular is a restaurant that my daughter-in-law’s mother takes the family for breakfast on Sunday mornings. I looked further and came across a photo of a candidate at a “house party”. I actually saw someone I know who was in attendance. All of this reminded me of what a great opportunity I had living in a political hot spot and being able to experience our political system at the grass roots. Regardless of what one might think about the system or the candidates, we are privileged in this country to elect our leaders. I was also reminded me of all the people I know who are going to the polls tomorrow to exercise their freedom to vote. As the motto goes – “Live Free or Die”.

I Found God today in remembering the freedom of the country we live in.

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Celebratory Day

Posted by eph21920 on February 7, 2016 in Birthday, Connected, Family, Fun, Happiness, Laughter

We had such a great celebratory day today. First we had a birthday party for my sister who is turning 50. She and her husband bought a farm last year and are preparing to get some chickens in the next few months. She has also already purchased all the special seeds for her garden, which she will be expanding this year. My parents talked about how my sister was a plant and animal lover from the beginning. Earlier in the week, my dad got a great idea to make her a photo album of her and her pets and plants throughout the years. It was so much fun watching her look through the album as we talked about the memories the pictures invoked. My sister and I made a cake that looked like a garden, complete with fondant carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, and lettuce. I was so grateful that a friend taught me how to use the stuff last year. We also made my sister a flock of origami ducks out of paper money to help her buy her chicken things. We would have made chickens, but couldn’t find a pattern for that. After her party, we switched gears for the for the Super Bowl party. My nephew decorated the basement and we brought down tons of snacks. My sister put together a family football pool, so that was a fun way to stay connected to people who were not physically present. And I found some football bingo cards that made it even more fun to keep track of the game. I was glad it was an exciting game, and even more glad that the Broncos won. I was indeed rooting for them. We laughed, celebrated, and ate from about noon until the end of the game. It was such a fun day.

I Found God today enjoying a wonderful celebration with my family.

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Being Creative

Posted by eph21920 on February 6, 2016 in Birthday, Family, Joy, Plan

This afternoon my sister and her son came over to help get ready for the big party. My other sister is turning 50, so tomorrow we are celebrating her birthday in the early afternoon, then having a Super Bowl 50 party later in the evening. My sister, nephew, mom, dad, and I all were busy being very creative as we put the finishing touches on the plans we have been making for weeks now. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to tomorrow.

I Found God today in being creative with family.

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Sharing Joy

Posted by eph21920 on February 5, 2016 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Joy

My dad has been a photographer since he was a teenager. He worked for school newspapers and yearbooks, and has been involved in several camera clubs and organizations through the years. He has thousands of photos, negatives, and slides; some that date back 80 years or more. He printed his own pictures with darkroom equipment for years. As time progressed, he used computers and professional scanners and printers. The house is like a museum with the walls filled with displays of different themed photos – keyboards, people working, super close ups, overseas tours, red flowers, pets . . . and he changes them from time to time. My dad got a new computer a while ago and had troubles getting any of the printing equipment to work, which was very frustrating. He spoke to the support team the other day and finally got it working. Today he got out some old slides and negatives announced that he was able to get some scanned that he never was able to do before. I love looking at the photos he takes and hearing the stories behind them. It was great to see his frustration turn into joy and excitement.

I Found God today sharing in my dad’s joy.

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