Leave a comment

Getting to Know You

Posted by eph21920 on January 25, 2016 in Baby, Connected, Family

Today I got a picture of my 5 month old granddaughter from my son. I have only seen her in person when she was a newborn. I do get to see her via video chat and as she gets older she is more interested in what is going on. In the picture I received, she is being held by the refrigerator and reaching for a photo of me with her older brother. My son said that every time they go in the kitchen, she reaches for the picture. I choose to believe that she wants to get to know me. I told my son to make sure they say, “Grammy!” over and over so that when we get to see each other again in person she will know who I am. He said they make sure to do that. It made me happy that my son was so thoughtful to send the picture.

I Found God today in a hopeful connection with my granddaughter and the thoughtfulness of my son.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Receiving Relief

Posted by eph21920 on January 24, 2016 in Answer, Faith, Grateful, Prayer, Sick

I woke up way before dawn this morning with a terrible stomach ache. You know – the kind that keeps you awake as you try to figure out exactly how sick you are. I finally decided that it would be a good idea to put on my rosary app. I nodded off and on as I went through all 4 selections of the prayerful meditative mysteries – joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious. Once that was done, I put on my Pandora mix of Christian contemporary music. All of this did help me to relax and get some sleep instead of focusing on the pain and worry. I did feel a little better as the day went on, so I was happy about that.

I Found God today in focusing on Him and receiving some relief.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Laughing Day

Posted by eph21920 on January 23, 2016 in Family, Happiness, Joy, Laughter

One of my daily prayers is to be joyful. There are so many things daily to be concerned, frustrated, angry, sad, or worried about. As I have said in the past, I don’t want to live that way and I don’t want to live in fear of what the future will bring. So, I pray for joy in each day and each moment. Today was particularly joyful. For some reason, things just made me laugh. I laughed through have of lunch at really nothing. I spoke to my both my sisters who had a very good week. That made me pretty happy as they both had extraordinary things going on that worried them. During those conversations, I found more things funny. I guess it was laughing day.

I Found God today in a generous dose of joy.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Talking to Sons

Posted by eph21920 on January 22, 2016 in Children, Connected, Family, Grateful, Life

My older son called this morning and we talked for a long time about everything that was going on. Also this morning my younger son and his girlfriend traveled back to college after their long break. They were driving right through the “Big Storm” but left early in the morning to avoid the snow. When they arrived safely, my son called and we talked a long time about everything that was going on. I miss being able to see my sons often, so I really enjoyed the time catching up with them today.

I Found God today visiting with my sons.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Jesus Calling

Posted by eph21920 on January 21, 2016 in Bible, Connected, Faith, Friends, Jesus, Prayer

I was so happy to connect to my prayer group via Facetime tonight. Even though I am not able to be there in person and it has been a while since I have talked with them, it is as beautiful as a biological sisterhood. We are able to talk to each other safely about whatever is on our hearts. The ladies there started reading a book together to keep them connected called “Jesus Calling”. It has a short reflection each day including a bit of scripture. We read some tonight and talked about what it meant to us. Each of the ladies comes from a different place in their lives and faith and each has a wonderfully different insight. I always feel so blessed to hear what they have to say. Before I signed off, we prayed together. It was especially at that time when I felt there were no boundaries or distance between us. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” That is just how I felt. The group itself was formed by Jesus calling the leader to invite people and Jesus calling each of us to respond. My mom also has the book, “Jesus Calling”, so we are going to start reading it together here. It will be another way for me to be able to stay connected to these ladies that mean so much to me.

I Found God today in a connection made with friends who feed my soul.

Permalink
Leave a comment

It’s Good to be Little

Posted by eph21920 on January 20, 2016 in Connected, Faith, Grace, Mercy, Trust

I thought I was doing pretty good reading my book for the “retreat” I am participating in. We meet once a week for 10 weeks and have a reading assignment for each week. I looked over the schedule again this morning and realized that I still had quite a bit to read. After getting the daily tasks accomplished, I had 1 hour before I had to get ready for the meeting. I didn’t think I would be able to finish, but somehow I did and even had time to write out answers to the thought provoking questions. I was glad about that. Part of this particular reading brought out  teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux. She lived her life as a “little one” allowing God to lead her. Knowing that we are not perfect and will not be, we can still have a relationship with Jesus. That is what He wants. Another aspect of God that St. Therese highlighted is that He wants us to trust in His mercy. When we talked about these things in the group, I realized that I am my own worst critic. I feel like I try to do my best and be my best, but I know I fall short every single day. So, how can I even please God in that? Following the “Little  Way” helps me to remember that each day I can thank God and praise Him for each thing I do in my little life. God just wants to be a part of my life, my day, right here and now just as I am. That way He can shower His grace and mercy on me.

I Found God today in a reminder that God loves me right where I am.

Permalink
2 Comments

He Told My Story

Posted by eph21920 on January 19, 2016 in Connected, Healing, Life, Past

Tonight I went to a meeting at the church to learn about how I might be able to help support teens who are in foster care. At one point the presenter was asked how he came to work for the organization that is launching this new program. The presenter said he is a psychologist who worked with Project Rachel for many years. What he said next astounded me. He told the story of how he had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis from a very young age. His mother took him to doctors appointments as well as physical therapy 3 times a week. He was told that by the time he was 18 years old, he would be in wheelchair. But his mother told him that would not be his future. She believed that he would get better and stood by him. His parents moved the family from the humid South to the drier West to further prevent the disease from flaring up. He did get better. He said he had a heart for youth and wanted each of them to know that they are worth something – that they have value. Teens in foster care don’t have a mother like he did and struggle with self worth. He wants to help change that. I couldn’t believe my ears. He could have been telling MY story! I, too, had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis from a young age. My mother also took me to doctors and physical therapy 3 times a week. We were told that I would be in a wheelchair by the time I was 18. My mother refused to believe that and took me to Lourdes where I had an incredible spiritual experience. My parents also made a home in the dry West partially due to the fact that it would be helpful for me. I did get better. I also have a heart for youth as I know how hard it was for me growing up with the disease. I was made fun of and had very low self esteem. I want to help youth understand the value that they have. As he spoke, I had a hard time holding back the tears. I spoke to him after the meeting and talking about our similar backgrounds was amazing. We understood those childhood experiences like no one else could. I knew God put me in that room.

I Found God today in an encounter with a person who shared the same childhood experience.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Influential MLK

Posted by eph21920 on January 18, 2016 in Faith, Hope, Life, Peace

It was unusually quiet when I went for an early morning walk. I was reminded that it was a holiday – the day we honor Martin Luther King Jr. Yesterday I heard a reporter talk about him and it started me thinking. The reported commented that Martin Luther King Jr. was a prophet – even ironically predicting his own death. I listened to a part of the last speech he made and sure enough, he said that he had been to the mountain top and that he didn’t think that he would be living a long life, but that he was not worried or afraid of that. He was shot and killed the following day. Today I listened to more of his speeches, read more of his quotes, and realized what a peaceful, faithful, courageous man he was. I can understand why so many people followed him. And unfortunately, that leads others to fear and/or hatred. His dream wasn’t just for the American people, it was for the world. I thought about how things have changed since his life ended. While it is certain that in some ways our world is smaller and more “tolerant”, in other ways we continue to battle the same racial and human rights issues we did 50 years ago. I know we are a slow people to change, but when I think about it, it is hard to understand why people can’t just treat each other with kindness and respect. Later this evening, I saw a clip of Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter giving a speech today. She very much resembled her father. I think she summed it up pretty well when she said that if her father was here, he would be asking, “What is taking so long?”

I Found God today in pondering the influence that Martin Luther King Jr. had on our world.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Demaryius Thomas and mom

Posted by eph21920 on January 17, 2016 in Forgiveness, Grace, Life, Opportunity, Past, Struggles

I do enjoy watching football. Before the Broncos/Steelers game I heard the announcers talk about Demaryius Thomas’ mother who was going to be able to see him play in person for the first time in his career. Evidently she was incarcerated, recently released, and able to make the trip to Denver. I looked into the story further this is a recap from what I found from the Denver Post:

Katina Stuckey Smith gave birth to her only son, Demaryius Antwon Thomas, on Christmas Day in 1987 when she was 15. In 1999 Katina and her mother, Minnie Pearl Thomas, were charged and convicted of trafficking drugs. If Katina, who was accused of being the banker, had pleaded guilty and testified against her mother, she would have been out in two to four years. But she refused to do so and was sentenced to 20 years. When Katina and her mother were gone, Demaryius was shuffled around. One afternoon he went home with a cousin, asked if he could spend the night and stayed there for 11 years. His aunt and uncle raised him as their own son. His uncle who is a pastor at two rural churches baptized Demaryius. He later told him he wanted the young basketball player to go to Georgia Tech and major in engineering. That is where Demaryius became an all-state football player and an All-America receiver. In the mean time, his mother watched his college and professional football games on TV from federal prison in Tallahassee, Fla., where she was incarcerated. On game days she would fashion two 8s from duct tape and apply them to the back of her T-shirt. In July President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 46 federal prisoners, including Katina. She was released in November and spent time in a halfway house.

Today she was able to travel to Denver to watch her son play – and help win -the playoff game. At the end of the game, Peyton Manning gave the game ball to Demaryius to give to his mother.

I Found God today in so many ways in this wonderful story – In Demaryius’ ability to progress in a positive direction, his perseverance, and obvious forgiveness; in his uncle’s unconditional love and giving the boy a new chance at life; and in what I am sure was a great event for a son and his mother.

Permalink
2 Comments

Lifelong Friendship

Posted by eph21920 on January 16, 2016 in Family, Friends, Happiness

My sister’s birthday is coming up. Yesterday she, her son, and my other sister came over. We spent the evening visiting, laughing, and decorating the birthday cake. Today we three sisters went shopping and got the birthday girl some nice outfits, particularly for a big work meeting she has coming up. Back at home we made one of her favorite meals and then had the cake. It was a wonderful day. My dad got a little choked up when he talked about how much he enjoyed us living so close that we can get together often. It made him especially happy that my sisters and I get along so well and are such good friends. That makes me pretty happy too.

I Found God today in the lifelong friendship I have with my sisters.

Permalink