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Christmas Music

Posted by eph21920 on December 20, 2015 in Connected, Family, Music

A while back, I told my parents that I wanted to go some kind of Christmas show this year. In the past, I made it somewhat of a tradition to bring my kids and others to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. Every year we would invite different people to come along with us. It was a great show and I was hooked after the first year. The music was a mix of rock and orchestral and included a Christmas story. Last year I didn’t attend any kind of Christmas show at all and wanted to make sure I went to something this year. My parents are members of the local symphony, so my dad bought tickets to the Christmas concert. We all went this afternoon. The chorale joined for this concert and there were two additional soloists. The music was beautiful and the conductor was entertaining. There was an assortment of classical pieces, traditional and spiritual Christmas songs, and even some selections from Handel’s Messiah finishing with the Hallelujah Chorus. Everyone in the place stood when it began. On the way home, we drove around and looked at the beautiful Christmas lights. It was just the Christmassy thing I needed. When we got home, I realized that my son and some of his friends were actually at the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the same time. So, while we are miles apart, we each had our own Christmas musical experience and somehow it seemed that we were connected.

I Found God today in beautiful music that reflected the upcoming Christmas holiday.

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Perfect Timing

Posted by eph21920 on December 19, 2015 in Connected, Friends, Happiness

It was a beautiful day today, so we decided to make a trip up to the cabin. As we approached, we passed by the house of a good friend who my parents have not seen in quite some time. He is not in the area right now and my parents were talking about him and wondering how he was doing. We made our way inside the house and had no sooner taken off our coats when the phone rang. That is unusual in itself. It was the friend they were just discussing. He called the cabin as he was thinking of them too and thought they might be there. They chatted for quite a while and caught up. They made plans to see each other again soon. He lost his wife recently, but is such a cheerful person and has a great attitude. He always picks up the spirits of my parents.

I Found God today in perfect timing and good friends.

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Cause to Celebrate

Posted by eph21920 on December 18, 2015 in Doctor, Family, Grateful, Joy

Today I took my parents to their appointment with the heart doctor. First the nurse showed us in, and took their vitals. Then the technician came in and went through all the informational questions to enter into the computer. Before he left, we exchanged “Merry Christmas” and he told us that he was very grateful as they just got some good news. His mother in law had battled brain cancer not too long ago. Recently when she was checked, they found what appeared to be another spot and feared that the very aggressive cancer was returning. She was checked again after a couple of weeks and the spot looked exactly the same. This meant that either there is no cancer at all, or it is not progressing at all. Either way it was a cause to celebrate. Next in was the “baby doctor” as I referred to him. He was a student and very young. He went through more questions to get an idea of what was going on. He was very cute and cheery. Then came in the heart doctor. He is quite a character, but in a good way. I think he has wonderfully positive attitude, yet is grounded and realistic. He made a slight adjustment to my parents’ blood pressure medication and spent a good deal of time talking and listening to them. He told us of how he wasn’t able to travel to visit his mother in law last year for Christmas as it was his turn on call. Evidently, they take a picture that they send out the following year and he was obviously missing. He said he will be making the trip this year so he will be in the picture that will be shared next year. He said his mother in law is 90 years old and in a nursing home, but she is like the energizer bunny. She had knee and back surgery and just keeps going. I laughed to myself, because that is what my sister calls my mom. As we left, there were many more Christmas greetings. It was such an uplifting visit.

I Found God today in very encouraging and joyful people at the doctor’s office.

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Patient Parents, Kind Kids

Posted by eph21920 on December 17, 2015 in Children, Shopping

This afternoon I went shopping. I figured I would run into lots of moms and kids as schools let out and I was right. I remember doing that with my own children. After school seems like a good time frame so you can get a few things accomplished before going home. But it has been my experience that kids are wound up from being inside and concentrating all day and/or pretty tired. I was prepared for the worst. Since I was alone, I paid a lot of attention to what was going on around me. Within the hustle and bustle, I was pleasantly surprised to see very patient parents and children who were respectful and pretty well behaved. The dollar store – one of my favorites – was probably the busiest. There was a mom down one aisle looking at things with a little girl. Then a little boy came down and met them. The mom explained that she had asked the little boy and another sibling to go down another aisle so he would not see what the little girl was getting. It seemed that she was taking turns with the kids to pick out their gifts for the others while trying to keep it secret. Another mom and kids were talking about what to get for their teachers. One girl said her teacher liked kisses. The other little girl responded, “Wait – Hershey’s kisses – right?” She was assured that was correct. There were a couple of teenage girls smelling all the candles and talking about what to get for others. In another store, a mom had 4 children with her – one toddler in a cart which was full of merchandise, two older ones, and a baby in the car seat. The car seat was on the floor as they stopped to look at things. I didn’t have a cart and was going to walk on by, but the older boy saw me coming and moved the seat out of the way. There was another mom with 4 kids and 2 carts. As I was making my way past them, the mom told everyone to move over which they did, then the older ones said, “Excuse me.” all on their own. There were several other incidents where parents were just plain being attentive to their kids. Honestly, there was only one time when two kids were having a sword fight that I saw any kind of commotion. The whole shopping experience was joyful and uplifting.

I Found God today in very patient parents and kind kids.

 

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A Relic

Posted by eph21920 on December 16, 2015 in Faith, Friends, Saint

A friend of mine knows a gentleman who worked on the engine for the Apollo 11 through 17 moon landing missions. He often comes into the shop where she works and she always looks forward to seeing him as they have great conversations. He has interesting stories to tell and he listens as well as talks. He is also a devout Catholic. She asked him once about how science and faith seem to oppose each other. He replied that they do not, and if you ask the astronauts who have been in space, they will tell you definitely that there is a God. Today, the gentleman came into the shop. He told my friend of how he had been able to see and touch some relics of St. Padre Pio. He said he could feel warmth coming from the shawl that the saint wore. Then he gave my friend a booklet and relic of a woman named Luisa Piccarreta. Padre Pio knew of her and said that should would be a great saint some day. I had not heard of her, so read more about her online. You can find a short biography here. Briefly, this woman gave her life to Christ as a young girl. From her early twenties, she suffered and became completely bedridden for the remainder of her life. Each morning she would have spells of rigidity and could not move or be moved until a priest came and blessed her. She had visions and conversations regularly with Jesus. She is not yet a saint, but the case for her canonization has been opened. My friend said that she was not feeling at all very Christmassy, but her visit with the gentleman completely changed her spirit.

I Found God today in a faithful man who has a profound way of sharing that faith.

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Prayer To Be Merciful

Posted by eph21920 on December 15, 2015 in Mercy, Prayer, Saint

This morning I went to my book about St. Faustina and opened to a prayer she wrote about being merciful. Since Pope Francis declared that this would be the “Year of Mercy”, I have been coming across the word mercy all the time. This prayer really touched my heart and I feel it is something I can embrace. I am going to commit to praying it daily during this year. I share it here for you:

Lord, may the greatest of all Divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable Mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but always look for what is beautiful in my neighbor’s souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbor’s needs, and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings.
Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of others, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and always try to take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, O Lord, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful, so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence.
May your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me. (Diary 163)

I Found God today in a beautiful prayer to help me be merciful.

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Goodies and Companionship

Posted by eph21920 on December 14, 2015 in Family, Food

Yesterday I plugged my dad’s printer into my computer for the first time and was excited that the computer just figured out how to connect them. I printed a couple of things and it worked great. Unfortunately, when it came time to blog, it wouldn’t recognize the keyboard or mouse. Then I couldn’t get it to start up all the way, or shut down all the way. I played with it for quite some time until I finally found out how to do a hard restart. By that time I was exhausted and rolled into bed. I was happy when I tried it this afternoon, and everything worked perfectly.

My sister is trying to stay positive as she continues to look for a job. Today she made some cookies and fudge and delivered them to her neighbors. This is no easy task as they live at the end of a long dirt road. There are about 10 other houses along the road and they each have a few acres of land. My sister and her husband moved into the house less than a year ago and have had opportunities to meet the neighbors, yet, there were still a few that she had not met. As she delivered the goodies, she was able to meet them all and get to know a little more about them. She told me about the couple who was the first to move into the community and is still there. They are both 91 years old. He told her stories of his service in WWII and how he met his wife who was a nurse for the enlisted. There is also a woman who is 81 years old, lives by herself, raises a couple of horses and takes in stray dogs. Her Christmas tree is full of horse ornaments and her shelves are full of horse books. Her children are trying to talk her into moving to an apartment so it is not so much work for her. Obviously this is the place she loves. By doing this act of kindness, my sister brought not only treats to her neighbors, but also the gift of company. I know she was blessed as well.

I Found God today in the loving gestures of sharing and conversation.

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A Balanced Day

Posted by eph21920 on December 12, 2015 in Family, Happiness, Life

I was busy all week running here and there getting things accomplished and taking advantage of a lull in chaotic activity in the household. I learned a long time ago that I need to be productive when the opportunity arises. Today the plan was to stay in. I got up earlier than usual and spent good quality time in prayer. As soon as it was light enough, I went for a walk. I enjoyed the Christmas lights that were still on and witnessed the bright pink sunrise. It was a beautiful way to start the day. After breakfast I lit a sweet smelling candle, put on some Christmas music, and got to work. I was able to touch base with some people and got caught up on some things I have been trying to do for quite a while. I even wrapped a few presents. I ended the day watching Mary Poppins with my mom and dad instead of working to the end. I also learned a long time ago that regardless of how busy I think I am, it is necessary to stop, sit, and appreciate the people in my life. I didn’t feel rushed, stressed, or put upon all day. It felt good to have a balance of prayer, exercise, work, and enjoying the people I live with all in one day.

I Found God today in a balance of work and enjoyment.

 

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Relationships vs Tasks

Posted by eph21920 on December 11, 2015 in Love, Patience, Relationship

Today at the grocery store, I came upon an elderly woman who was wearing large dark glasses and using a cane. She was accompanied by a young man probably in his early 20’s with longish hair wearing a camouflage shirt. They were perusing the meat. At first I thought she may be blind, but she could see at least a bit. She was picking up packages and trying to figure out what they were. He was explaining everything in detail. After she made her selection there, she said she needed some bread. The young man told her where it was and walked with her to the bakery. The same thing happened again – she picked up different bags and he explained exactly what it was. I was so impressed with the gentleness and patience of this young man. I was in my usual rush going from one thing to the next to the next – as were most other people there. I thought about how the scene was a beautiful example of how relationships are more important than tasks.

I Found God today in the patience and love shown by a young man to an elderly woman.

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Dance Music

Posted by eph21920 on December 10, 2015 in Faith, Friends, Grateful, Music, Youth

When I am driving in the car, I usually have on a sirius radio station that plays Christian music. Today while I was out and about, they played a song that brought back some wonderful memories. When I worked as a youth minister in a church, I would organize a trip to Workcamp every summer. Our church packed up a group of about 40 kids and 6-10 adults along with tools and necessary personal items for a week’s experience in a new city. We would connect with an organization who worked with people in need and go out into the community to work. Typically we worked doing home repairs. When we returned to the school where we made our camp for the week, we participated in programs filled with faith stories and uplifting music. There was one particular song that was like a theme song. It was played every year and had a specific dance. I remembered dancing along with the big group and how much fun we had. I thought about all the adults who attended Workcamps – some of them for several years. I thought about the strong faith they had and what an impact they made on the kids. They each had their own life struggles and changed my life by helping me to see things in a different way. Their faith boosted my faith. I am so grateful for them all and as I thought about them, I said some prayers for them and their families.

I Found God today in remembering wonderful, faithful people who have made a huge impact in my life.

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