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Trip Down Memory Lane

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

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

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

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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Avoiding an Accident

My mom and I went out and about today. As we were driving home, I got in the left hand turn lane behind an SUV. It was a big intersection, so we both ended up pretty much in the middle of it. The light changed from green to yellow. I couldn’t see much past the SUV and he was slowly creeping forward. The light then changed from yellow to red and there we were still in the intersection. A car passed going the opposite way and the SUV made the left turn. I intended on following him quickly to get out of the way, but something inside told me that was not a good idea as a car was going to blow the red light. So instead, I let the SUV go and waited until I could clearly see what was coming. Sure enough, a car blew the red light and went straight through behind the SUV. Had I followed as I intended, we would have been t-boned and I shudder to think what that outcome would have been. I made the turn after the car cleared the intersection, thanking God, my guardian angel, and anyone else who intervened.

I Found God today in safety from avoiding an accident.

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The Blessing

Tonight my son’s girlfriend sat down at the piano and started to go through my mom’s stacks of music. She came across a piece that my mother sang with her choir when she was in high school. She played a bit, my mom sang, and I attempted to harmonize. My mom explained that the song was performed at the end of each concert as a blessing to the audience. She found an album that was put together in memory of the choir director. As she was showing it to my son’s girlfriend, I was looking at emails and suddenly there were the words to the song. It was the “Priestly Blessing” that Moses taught to Aaron in Numbers 6:22-26: Ironically, it was also one of the readings that we heard at church on New Year’s Day. I thought it was a beautiful way to start the new year.

The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

I Found God today in a well timed affirmation of a beautiful blessing.

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Epiphany

Epiphany! Aha! I get it now! I love the word, the meaning, the church celebration. The gospel reading Matthew 2:1-12 was the story of the wise men – or Magi – who made the journey to see the infant Jesus. They knew and read the signs in the sky. They followed the star to the place where Jesus was. “The star” was talked about by the priest and the deacon and is what made an impression on me. For the wise men, the star is what led them to Jesus. It was a bright light shining in the darkness, always beckoning them forward. They were focused and intent on following the light to the end – knowing that it held the resolution to their search. The star was compared to our inner conscious. In our world there is a lot of darkness, but there is also light within each of us. This light beckons us forward towards peace, goodness, joy, hope, faith, and ultimately God. It is not easy, but the more focused we are on following the light – the good decisions we can make – the closer we come to God. The closer we get to God, the more the light shines in us and through us. We can become stars ourselves, helping others on their journey to God. I know many shining stars in my life and am grateful for their strong faith. I will pray for more strength to be steadfast in my journey.

I Found God today in Epiphany.

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Memories

I am so happy that my son and his girlfriend are here visiting for a few days. My son sat down at the piano and his girlfriend joined him. I loved listening to them play and sing together. My parents did too. It reminded them of when they were younger and my mom played the piano and they sang. I thought about how much that meant to them at that time and how much it meant to them to hear their grandson doing the same thing. My sister and nephew also came over for the evening. My son and his cousin spent a lot of time reliving some of their favorite times as they were growing up. It was a lot of fun watching and listening to them and also remembering some of those times. It meant a lot to me that even though they don’t see each other often, they fall right back into the great relationship that they have.

I Found God today in meaningful memories.

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Pondering

Today was a great beginning to the new year. My sister and I made a delicious breakfast, then my parents and I headed off to church. Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. January 1st has been the hardest day for me to try to make it to church and I have always questioned why it is a Holy day of Obligation – but I digress. I was determined to make it today and somewhat surprised that my parents were up and ready to go as well. It was truly beautiful. The gospel reading described the scene when the shepherds went to the stable to find the baby Jesus there. It included one of my favorite lines of scripture, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” There are a few references of Mary “pondering” things in her heart. I love this image as to me it means that although she agreed to be the Mother of God, she did not fully understand what that meant or even know exactly the effects of things that were happening at the time. She said “yes” to God and trusted that His beautiful plan would enfold in her and her son’s life. I would like to have that kind of trust. But, more often than not, when things don’t go the way I expect or want, I question God or get upset. I need to do more pondering. The music at the Mass was also beautiful and prayerful. I was so happy that I made it to church. It gave me food for thought and for my soul to get me started on the right track.

I Found God today by reflecting on Mary’s pondering.

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Ringing In

It appeared that my parents and I were going to spend New Years Eve alone, but in the afternoon I was happy to get a call from my sister who decided to come for the night. We had a good time eating, playing with the selfie stick, and watching different celebrations. We shared one of our pictures with the rest of the family who were in several locations. It was fun watching everyone share their pictures back in assorted places with assorted people and animals. My mom made it until 10:00 to see the ball drop in NY in real time, then retired. My sister, dad, and I are making it until midnight. It has been quite a year for the family and I am looking forward to beginning anew. Happy New Year to all!

I Found God today enjoying celebrating with my family and I am looking forward to a NEW YEAR!