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Raw Emotion

Posted by eph21920 on May 5, 2016 in Faith, Friends, Prayer, Struggles

Today as I entered the grocery store, I was surprised to see two women in an embrace. They were both crying and consoling one another. I tried to leave them their space as I passed by to get a shopping cart. A man was getting two small boys settled into one of the carts, so I waited for him to get situated. As I did so, I glanced at the women. They were still hugging with their eyes closed. I got my cart and snuck by them carefully so as not to interrupt. It was as if they were in their own little bubble. As I passed, I could hear them both still sniffing, and one of them praying. It was a heart wrenching scene in many ways. Obviously someone was in a lot of pain and both women allowed themselves to be vulnerable as their emotions flowed freely in the entrance to a busy public place. To go even further, they were letting their prayers be heard by anyone who chose to pay attention.

I Found God today in the raw emotion, consolation, and public prayers of two women.

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Faith Through Grief

Posted by eph21920 on May 4, 2016 in Death, Faith, Friends, Grief

One of the first people I met when I moved a year and a half ago was an elderly man who got a little white poodle. We would meet when I walked my dog. My parents told me that he had stage 4 cancer and he was not receiving any more treatments. I was in awe every time I saw him, knowing how he must be suffering. He passed away a couple of weeks ago. His widow called our house today, but my parents missed the call. My mom called her back, but did not get an answer. Later in the afternoon, my mom and I went out for a walk. My mom wanted to go by the widow’s house and was hoping that she would be outside. As we were approaching, she came out of the house. She told us about the difficult time she has been having since her husband died. Today she was having trouble with the circuit breaker, the microwave, and her computer. She had called to see if someone might be able to give her a hand. But she was able to get in touch with someone else and they had been working on it. She said that her husband used to take care of things like that and she did not know what to do. She said she knew it was going to be difficult, but not this difficult. She told us how she and her husband were missionaries at one point in their lives. They even were part of a marriage ministry. They saw people lose their spouses and witnessed their agony. She said if she did not have faith and a relationship with God, she would not be able to make it. She said she goes to Him not just every day, but sometimes every minute. I offered to help her any time she needed, so hopefully she will remember that.

I Found God today in a beautiful witness of love and faith through grief and difficulty.

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Long Lasting Friendships

Posted by eph21920 on May 3, 2016 in Birthday, Family, Friends, Grateful, Intimacy

Today my parents completed their 2-week long anniversary and birthday celebrations. We met their group of friends at a local restaurant for lunch. They have known each other for over 40 years. My mom met the women through teaching music. They have been through many wonderful and many difficult times together. The group of them and their husbands now get together every month that someone has a birthday. The oldest is a gentleman of 91 years who still goes to the gym 3 days a week and walks 2-3 miles on the treadmill. He told me that he and his buddies solve all the sports issues while they are there. His wife is almost a year older than my mother. While she can no longer play the piano as she used to, she still hears and sees very well and is in otherwise pretty good health. She told me that her and her husband will likely be selling their house next year as it is difficult for them to keep it up. She said they may be moving to another state to be close to their daughter who wants them there. As she talked about the different options, I could sense how difficult it will be for them to make this change. The “youngsters” are in their 70’s and the musician is still teaching private lessons. My parents had a fantastic time and said how grateful they are to have this group of friends. I enjoyed listening to their stories.

I Found God today in the joy and intimacy of long standing friendships.

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Celebrating Mom

Posted by eph21920 on May 2, 2016 in Birthday, Family, Food, Happiness

Today is my mom’s birthday. We seem to celebrate for a few weeks during this time of year as my parents anniversary and birthdays are so close together. My mom jokingly said she had been waiting for this day to finally arrive. I somewhat jokingly but truthfully told her I was glad she made it to another birthday, as it was questionable at times. We decided to go to her and my dad’s favorite restaurant for dinner and invited her closest friend to join us. My mom kept saying she didn’t have much of an appetite and saved half her dinner. But when the chocolate cake came, she wasted no time. She was pretty tired by the time we got home and went straight to bed. We remembered that there is another celebration tomorrow. We will be going to lunch with some of their friends. I hope my mom is up for one more party.

I Found God today celebrating the person of my mother.

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Celebrating Birthdays

Posted by eph21920 on May 1, 2016 in Birthday, Family, Joy

Today my sisters and nephew came to celebrate my parent’s birthdays. There seemed to be a theme for each parent. My dad received a box of Star Wars cereal complete with droid marshmallows to go along with the movie and BB8 droid he got the other day. He also received a Star Trek puzzle. A while ago, we decided to set up a table and have a puzzle out to work on. The current one had lots of dark sky pieces remaining, which has not been progressing very quickly. My dad promptly put that one back in the box in preparation to begin the new one. My mom received some books from some of her favorite authors, book accessories, and gift cards for more books – both in store and online. We ate all day. One sister helped make the food and the other helped clean everything up. There is just something wonderful about woman bonding in the kitchen. It was great to catch up as always. It was a joyful day.

I Found God today in the joy of a family celebration.

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Adorable Compliment

Posted by eph21920 on April 30, 2016 in Family, Joy

My parents and I decided to go to church this afternoon. We sat in the same place as usual. We saw the same people around us as we usually do when we go at that time. At the beginning of Mass, everyone is invited to introduce themselves and say hello to those around them. I heard the woman in front of us saying something to my mom, but didn’t quite catch it. She told us about it in the car ride home after church. When the woman turned around, she told my mom that she looked adorable. My mom had on her black leather coat and thin fuzzy black scarf. I thought perhaps that it what she liked. But, my mom was convinced that it was due to the fact that she recently got a haircut and it had gotten windblown on the way in. When my sister came to the house this evening, my mom asked her if she thought her hair was adorable. It was just funny. No matter what the reason, the compliment really tickled my mom.

I Found God today in a compliment given to my mother that made her joyful.

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Offering Comfort

Posted by eph21920 on April 29, 2016 in Answer, Connected, Family, Prayer, Struggles

This morning my mom remembered a dream that she had last night. She dreamed that there were other people sharing her and my dad’s bed. It reminded us of when my siblings and I were children and would climb into their bed in the middle of the night when we didn’t feel good or were scared. Kids know where to go when they need to be comforted and reassured. I remember doing this myself and my own kids doing the same thing. My mom said she has had this dream several times with different people in them. Last night it was my brother who hasn’t been feeling great, and her brother who continues to suffer with his health. It seems that the people she dreams about are struggling with one thing or another. She is worried about them. If I were to interpret this, I would say that there are people on her mind who are going to her for comfort. Although she cannot be there for them in the way that a mother embraces her child in the middle of the night, she can offer consolation just by thinking of them, talking with them, and praying for them.

I Found God today knowing that there are ways we can help to lift people up, even when we can’t be with them physically.

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New Birthday Friend

Posted by eph21920 on April 28, 2016 in Birthday, Family, Friends, Happiness, Uncategorized

Today is my dad’s 86th birthday. For a gift, my mom wanted to get him some kind of new electronic device. I remembered that at Christmas time, he saw the Star Wars BB8 droid in a catalog and said how fun that would be to have. My siblings and I did a little research and bought it for him. He was quite surprised. After he unpacked the little droid, he put it on the charger and it came to life. It seemingly looked all around with lights flashing. My dad watched some informational videos and tutorials to figure out how the robot worked. After a while my mom and I heard the Star Wars theme song playing on the iPad. I knew that my dad had downloaded the app and soon BB8 came rolling into the kitchen where my mom and I were making angel food birthday cake. My dad spent much of the afternoon playing with BB8 and watching him roll all around, learning about his new home. The cake didn’t quite turn out, but I managed to make it look pretty and it was still delicious. During the day, we heard from all my siblings too, completing a very happy birthday.

I Found God today in my dad’s happiness as he celebrated another birthday.

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Fear to Mercy

Posted by eph21920 on April 27, 2016 in Faith, Forgiveness, Mercy, Priest

This morning my mom read a paragraph about the peace that is felt when people go to the Sacrament of Confession. It reminded me of the story the priest told at church this past Sunday. The deacon that the priest invited to celebrate Mass with him this week worked in prison ministry. The priest said that the deacon sent an email to all the priests in the area asking if they would consider going to the prison to allow some of those incarcerated to go to Confession. The priest said that was not something that he thought he would be able to do, so he did not reply. The next week, another email was received still asking for priests to go to the prison as the deacon did not get any volunteers. The priest felt the tug on his heart to go, but was not comfortable going. He thought maybe some other priests would feel guilty too and respond, so he did not. The next week another email came through. This time the priest knew that God wanted him to go and he had to respond – which he did. He said he was afraid to go to the prison, which surprised me because he is a big man. He had his own ideas of what it would look like and feel like inside and became more and more nervous as they entered the facility. But when he met the men and was able to hear their confessions, his fear subsided. He said he felt blessed to be an instrument of God’s grace and mercy, to be able to lift burdens off their shoulders. It was funny when he told the story as he was so nervous about going and kept trying to push away the nudge of God. He called himself a “big scardey-cat”.The priest continues to go to the prison on a regular basis to talk with the men and offer the Sacrament of Confession. And in the end, he and the inmates were both very blessed.

I Found God today in the story of a priest and how he and those incarcerated found God in the Sacrament of Confession.

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WWII Vets

Posted by eph21920 on April 26, 2016 in Hope, Past, Sacrifice

My travelling brother spent some time in Washington DC and did some sight-seeing. I looked at his pictures today. When he was at the World War II memorial, there was a ceremony going on to honor some of the veterans themselves. The picture shows about 90 men, half of them in wheelchairs, lined up for their photo opp. My brother said that the park holds ceremonies for the veterans as many days as they are there to visit. I thought about the sacrifice these men made and hoped that a small recognition such as this one would help them to know that they are appreciated.

I Found God today in a bit of appreciation for those who sacrificed much for the greater good.

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