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Story of Patience and Kindness

Posted by eph21920 on January 15, 2016 in Life, Patience

Today someone shared a story from a Facebook page called, “Love What Matters”. People share their wonderful experiences for all to read. This particular story involved a young man who was a cashier at a store. The author was in a hurry – as most of us are – with children in tote. In front of her was an elderly woman who wanted to pay for each item separately with cash. The cashier patiently rang up the woman and helped her count out her change. The author was at first frustrated by the wait until she took a good look at what was happening. She was witnessing a beautiful act of kindness and care. Not only that, her daughter was there front and center watching everything that was happening. The irritation turned to gratitude and a teachable moment. After reading the story, I visited the page and it is chocked full of positive stories. I think that is what we need more of – not only to notice wonderful things around us, but to share and read about them. Here is the link to the page if you would like to read more. LoveWhatMatters

I Found God today in a story of patience and awareness of kindness.

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Mom’s Dance

Posted by eph21920 on January 14, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Healing, Life

My mom has been struggling with Parkinson’s Disease now for about 8 years. During this past year she has also experienced more than her fair share of other physical ailments including having a pacemaker implanted and more recently suffering a stroke. It has been difficult to watch her go through phases of recovery, exhaustion, pain, and weakness. The Parkinson’s keeps her movements small and the stenosis  in her back prevents her from standing or sitting too long. But she keeps on going. After each set back, she does her best to return to functioning. Today she had her 2nd session of physical therapy. At one point the therapist had my mom stand with her feet apart and reach big with both arms extended back as far as they could go, then swing one arm high and extend to the opposite side. Now, this may not sound like much, but this is the most movement I have seen my mom do in years. It was a beautiful flow from side to side like a dance. I got teary eyed as I watched – even her face shone with a bright expression. I continue to be grateful for the help that is available, the good that it does, and the determination of my mom.

I Found God today in my mother’s perseverance.

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A New DIY Retreat

Posted by eph21920 on January 13, 2016 in Answer, Begin, Faith, Saint

A couple years ago I participated in a “DIY” retreat called “33 Days To Morning Glory”. It included readings, small group discussions, and watching videos at the weekly meetings. The author and leader of the video teachings is Fr. Michael Gaitley. He is a young priest with a heart on fire with love for Jesus and a desire to share that with others. In his videos, he talked some about his life experiences in college, which were both entertaining and relevant. I actually was able to see him in person as he led a 1-day retreat in a nearby town. The follow up to the “33 Days To Morning Glory” retreat is “Consoling the Heart of Jesus”. I have been wanting to participate in this as my experience with the first one was so positive. I was so excited when I found that my parish was offering it. Tonight was the first session. I didn’t know anyone in the room, but that was OK. I loved seeing Fr. Michael Gaitley again via DVD. His faith is so exuberant and contagious – even through a TV screen. The retreats offer a fast and easy way to become a saint. I definitely could use some saintly-ness, so I am in. Although many saints died violently defending their faith. I guess I won’t worry about that right now. I am very much looking forward to growing deeper in faith and getting to know people in the process.You can find info about the program HERE.

I Found God today in beginning a new retreat to help me grow closer to Him.

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Answered Prayer

Posted by eph21920 on January 12, 2016 in Answer, Faith, Friends, Prayer

This morning I heard from a friend who asked for prayers. Her mother was headed to the doctor’s office with a serious condition and of course she was very worried. I sent the word out to family members who know her and we all said some prayers. My friend called later in the day to give me the update. Her mother’s condition was in very early stages and there are ways to treat it and keep it from getting worse. My friend was so grateful for the prayers and talked about how she knows there is power in prayer. I was grateful as well and will continue to pray that her mother’s treatment will go well.

I Found God today in answered prayers and a positive diagnosis for a friend.

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Regular Time

Posted by eph21920 on January 11, 2016 in Family, Friends, Grateful

It was bound to happen. After literally weeks of people visiting, celebrating the Christmas season, enjoying outings to a variety of places, cooking, baking, and eating a lot, things came to a halt and “regular” time started again. I had so much fun with everyone while they were here as did my parents. Like I said, it was several weeks of events, so I wasn’t sure how things would play out. But my parents were fine – better than fine I thought. They brought their A-game so to speak and were present, cheery, fun, and best of all – hospital free. My mom started physical therapy today to try to regain some strength and stamina that seem to be lacking since her stroke 2 short months ago. The therapist said the same thing that so many others have said to her since then. She talked about how good she thought my mom was doing. I think those comments alone help my mom to feel better. So, we are back to regular therapy and doctor appointments, and that is OK. We had a wonderful long run of it and looking forward to keeping that going.

I Found God today in being grateful for the wonderful celebration of the Christmas Season.

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Baptisms in the Sistine Chapel

Posted by eph21920 on January 10, 2016 in Baby, Children, Faith, Family, Life

I turned EWTN on the TV this morning and saw Pope Francis blessing a baby. I was drawn in immediately. The Pope was celebrating Mass inside the beautiful Sistine Chapel. As I watched, family after family brought their babies up to him. He traced the sign of the cross on their forehead and then the parents did the same thing. The Mass marked the Baptism of the Lord when Jesus was Baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. During the celebration, there were 26 families who had their infants Baptized by Pope Francis – 13 girls and 13 boys. As the parents brought their babies up for the first blessing, some had young children with them as well – obviously the older brother or sister. Most of the siblings were interested in what was happening and went along with mom or dad. But one little boy caught my eye. He was playing the “stiff as a board” game and not moving at all when it was the family’s turn to walk up the steps. His mom was carrying the baby while his dad was trying to get him to move. For some reason, I thought that these must be all perfect families with their perfect children in front of the Pope. But I was quickly made aware that these families were just like everyone else. During Mass, some parents were paying close attention to their program guide and everything that was happening. Others were more focused on their children. One little boy was pointing to all the artwork and it seemed that the mom was trying to explain what was happening in each scene. Some dads were fully engaged in the parenting activities, some seemed to leave it up to mom. Some parents looked flustered, some appeared more calm. Pope Francis gave a short homily directed to the parents and said through baptism, our faith is handed on from one generation to the next, throughout the course of history. He said they must never forget that faith is the greatest heritage they can give to their children. Then he told them to feel free to feed the babies during Mass if they needed to. Of course, there was a lot of commotion – babies crying, children being rambunctious, and parents bouncing, rocking, patting, and feeding the infants. But they were all there, doing their best to bring their families to Christ. I thought it was so beautiful that in this most holy and breathtaking place in the presence of the Pope, the normalcy of family life was so obvious. I see our relationship with God in the same way. His holiness is more than we can imagine. Sometimes we can focus in on Him, sometimes it is all we can do just to get through the day. But His loves for us is the same no matter what. He loves us in our normalcy.

I Found God today in a beautiful Baptism celebration and a reminder of God’s love in the normalcy of human life.

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Trip Down Memory Lane

Posted by eph21920 on January 9, 2016 in Begin, Family, Grateful, Life, Love, Marriage, Music, Past, Relationship

The other day we watched a movie that had the Chicago Theater in it. My parents said that they spent their honeymoon in Chicago and stayed in the hotel right across the street from the theater. We talked about it tonight which prompted my dad to retrieve the scrapbook they put together 63 years ago. It opened with their engagement picture that reflected that new love and excitement in their eyes. They were ready to take on the world. As we paged through, my parents remembered their friends and the adventures they had. My dad had drawn little pictures on the pages – the equivalent of those scrapbooking stickers. The memorabilia included cards from my grandparents, their wedding announcement in the local newspaper, and programs from the various shows and concerts they attended. They always loved musicals and symphonies. My mom commented on how blessed they were to see such talented and famous musicians. Being from a musical family herself, there were also write-ups about some of her performances. Her brother was invited to participate in a national boys choir and we found an article about him as well. As my mother’s eyes welled with tears, she explained that the choir came to their home town to give a concert. The hosts of the show gave all the proceeds to the family so the boy could continue his voice training. We came to the graduation (from college) announcements and the one year anniversary cards to conclude the book. My mom and dad commented on what a wonderful first year they had together and as they looked at each other, I could see the committed love in their eyes with a little twinkle. I thanked God for their relationship and the opportunity to be a witness to it.

I Found God today in the committed love of my parents and to be able see how it started.

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Relaxing Day

Posted by eph21920 on January 8, 2016 in Family, Life

It was a snowy day today, so my mom, dad, son, his girlfriend, and I spent the day in – with the exception of a little shoveling. We visited, played games, ate, and visited some more. I so much enjoyed seeing the wonderful interaction between the younger generation and my parents. The genuine respect, patience, and love they showed to one another was beautiful. My son helped me figure some things out on my computer, which is an ongoing learning process. It was a nice way to wrap up the week – not too busy – just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company.

I Found God today in simply enjoying the company and conversation of family.

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Training Olympiads

Posted by eph21920 on January 7, 2016 in Bible, Faith, Life, Saint

Today my son, his girlfriend, and I visited a facility where some Olympic competitors train. As we toured the gyms, the memorabilia, and the trophies, I kept thinking about the time and total commitment it takes to be the best. No doubt these people took years of their lives just working on perfecting their talent. It culminates in those minutes of competition when they show the world everything they’ve got. I guess that is what differentiates gold medalists from the average people touring their facility. I have heard the faith life compared to that of athletes. But instead of working on the physical part of your body, a person is strengthening the spirit – their soul. A saint is one who spends years working on their relationship with God by praying, reading scripture and spiritual writings, and showing the world what they’ve got by the way they treat their fellow human beings. The big difference is that each one of us is capable of winning the gold so to speak. God has promised that everyone who follows Him will live with Him forever in peace and love. We don’t have to be perfect, but we do have to give it our best effort.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 ” I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.”

I Found God today in a reminder of what can be achieved through commitment.

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Star Wars

Posted by eph21920 on January 6, 2016 in Family, Movie

I have been wanting to see the new Star Wars movie. When I talked with my son – who saw it opening night – he wanted to see it again so I waited for him. In the mean time I made sure I did not watch too many trailers, or read about it, or come across any spoilers. Today was the big day. My son and his girlfriend, my dad, and I all went to the movie. I was excited and even more so when it started as usual. I guess I did pretty good staying away from the information, as I was happily surprised during the progression of the story. It brought me back to my younger years when I saw the first Star Wars movie in the theater. I was hooked immediately. I have always loved the comparison of the “force” and the “dark side” with the reality of good and evil in the world. The stories show how it is always our choice on which way to go and it is never too late to change. This new movie did not disappoint. I cheered for the good guys and recoiled from the bad. But I knew that in the end the evil would meet their fate and the righteous would prevail. That’s the kind of story I like. And that’s the kind of faith I have.

I Found God today in enjoying Star Wars, the story, and the company.

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