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Suffering Stations

Posted by eph21920 on March 25, 2016 in Faith, Jesus, Lent, Prayer, Sacrifice, Struggles

Good Friday. My mom and I went to the church today to pray the Stations of the Cross. At each of the 14 stations, there was a meditation about a particular element of suffering that Jesus Christ endured as he carried his cross to the place of his crucifixion and was ultimately put to death. Each station also included a personal prayer that correlated with the particular element. Even though the church was full of people saying the same prayers, it felt very personal to me. We asked for help to undergo the sufferings that we feel in life – physical ailments, missing loved ones, watching others go through hard times. We prayed for faith and the ability to trust God with all the situations in our lives. We asked for help to love more and be more compassionate. Generic prayers, perhaps, but I felt as if the words were written for me alone. My mother felt the same way. I think that is one of the blessings of being in relationship with God. He is everywhere, available to everyone, all the time. Yet, when I pray, it feels very private – just me and God.

I Found God today in remembering the suffering Jesus Christ endured through His crucifixion, which helped me to trust that my own sufferings are beneficial.

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Look of Love

Posted by eph21920 on March 24, 2016 in Faith, Jesus, Lent, Love

I always look forward to Holy Thursday. Maybe that is strange. But to me the day offers so much symbolism and meaning to contemplate. I went to Mass this evening and the scripture readings included the story of Jesus’ last supper with His apostles. At the meal, Jesus washed the feet of his friends. He served them and we are asked to do the same. At church, the priest reenacted Jesus’ actions by washing the feet of 12 people. He had them lined up at the ends of the pews down a couple of aisles. I was sitting 2 rows back from one of the ladies, so got to see it up close. The priest came to the woman, knelt down, and poured the water over her feet. As he was drying them, he looked at her. But this wasn’t just any look. It was a deep, penetrating look of love. I even felt it. I watched her as her eyes welled up with tears. I looked at the young man who was an altar server standing behind the priest. He was watching the interaction also and getting teary eyed. I wondered if the woman was a particularly close friend of the priest. But as he moved on to the others, he did exactly the same thing and his look of love to each one was as if Jesus Himself was there. It was a beautiful thing to be present for.

I Found God today in a look of love.

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Safe From Snowstorm

Posted by eph21920 on March 23, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Travel, Weather

We had quite the snow storm today. The wind was blowing so hard there were white out conditions. On several occasions, I could not see the houses across the street. I watched as one white car carefully made a turn onto a side street and immediately disappeared. I was particularly worried about my sister. She has a new demanding job and has been sick the past few days. I figured she would try to go in to work. I texted her, but did not hear back. There were no pictures or comments on social media, so I knew she probably made her way in. Finally in the afternoon I heard from her. She did go into work and they shut down early. She said she had to dodge cars that were stuck all over the roads. The road leading up to her house had huge drifts that she was unable to maneuver, so she was in a hotel. She had a headache from concentrating so hard, but was doing ok and grateful that she made it that far. Her husband had also gone to work and met her at the hotel. I was so glad that they were both there warm, safe and sound.

I Found God today in safety for my sister and her husband.

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Reassurance

Posted by eph21920 on March 22, 2016 in Answer, Doctor, Family, Grateful, Healing

My parents and I spent the day at assorted doctor’s appointments today. My dad had a follow up with his primary care doctor after his hospitalization. Then both my mom and dad went to the cardiologist. My mom then went to pacemaker clinic to get her information from the last 3 months downloaded – which still boggles my mind. They both got some questions answered there. On the way home we stopped at the hearing aide office where my dad got his devices cleaned and picked up some supplies. At all of our visits, there was a lot of discussion, a lot of patience, and a lot of good news. It was an exhausting day all around, but well worth the weariness to know that my parents are both doing well at this point in time. We can all rest a little easier and get back to normalcy.

I Found God today in reassurance that my parents are doing well.

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Finally Haircut

Posted by eph21920 on March 21, 2016 in Grateful

I have needed a haircut for a while and have even had a couple of appointments set up. Unfortunately, I had to cancel them due to circumstances beyond my control. It has been quite a hectic week and I was glad to actually be able to go to my appointment today. The best part was the shampoo. It was not just a shampoo – it was a massage and calming treatment. In a matter of minutes I went from somewhat stressed to a puddle. I could have laid in that shampoo bowl all day. It felt great to have a few minutes of pampering.

I Found God today in a wonderful de-stressing massage.

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Palm Sunday

Posted by eph21920 on March 20, 2016 in Bible, Faith, Jesus, Love, Mercy

Palm Sunday. Today my parents and I watched the Mass on TV celebrated with Pope Francis. It was beautiful, of course. My dad commented on all of the crowds who were there in person from all over the world. The faith really does unite people. Regardless of what language you speak, the celebration of the Mass is the same and you know what is going on. One thing that touched me was the Psalms that were interspersed throughout. Although they were written hundreds of years before Jesus Christ was born, they described His suffering and death. When Jesus was alive, He said that He came to fulfill the prophecies. These are just some examples. Another thing that struck me was during Pope Francis’ homily. He was talking about how Jesus was passed back and forth to assorted people before he was sentenced to death. No one wanted to take responsibility for Him. The Pope said that he thought about all the marginalized and the poor and how no one wants to take responsibility for them. Jesus was there too – He understands and will be their companion if they allow Him to be. Another remark that moved me was, “Even at the height of His annihilation, Jesus reveals the true face of God, which is mercy.” Certainly God could have stepped in and wiped out everyone who had any part of killing His Son. But He did not. Instead Jesus showed forgiveness and love. This goes right along with the reading that my mom and I have been discussing. Funny.

I Found God today as I listened to His messages during the celebration of Mass.

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Merciful Love

Posted by eph21920 on March 19, 2016 in Faith, Family, Love, Mercy

My mom and I have been reading a book based on the writings of St. Therese of Lisieux. Today my mom read a particular paragraph to my dad and me. It talked about how in Therese’s childhood, she was very emotional and anxious. Her faith was based on God’s Justice. She worked hard to build up her merits, sufferings, and sacrifices – even before her first Communion as a child. As she grew older and closer to Christ, she came to realize that there is another side to God – His Merciful Love. We talked about how my parents grew up with the stereotypical nuns for teachers. My mom and dad also learned about God’s Justice and how a person must behave to be in His good graces. Unfortunately, they did not hear much about God’s Merciful Love. I reflected on this and thought how difficult it is to remain faithful with that kind of understanding. I do think that many people feel that God rejects them, is angry with them, or even hates them based upon their behavior. They fear God’s Justice. But the reality is that God also offers each one of us His Merciful Love. He is not waiting or expecting us to be perfect. None of us would ever have a relationship with Him if that were the case. But God wants us to go to Him, to be with Him, talk with Him, and yes – listen to Him as well. He has so much love to give us if we will accept Him. And the beauty of it is – we can do that right now.

I Found God today in the realization of His Merciful Love.

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Grateful Dad

Posted by eph21920 on March 18, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Healing

I spent the day today “hovering” over my dad as I wouldn’t let him walk around at all without me beside him. The good news is that his world is no longer spinning. He felt somewhat dizzy and weak from too many days with no food. But I could even see improvement from morning to night. We talked about the happenings of the past few days as he did not remember much. He did know that he got excellent care from the nurses in the hospital and wanted to send them a thank you note, or flowers, or chocolates. I thought that was really sweet.

I Found God today in my recovering and grateful dad.

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Down, But Not Out

Posted by eph21920 on March 17, 2016 in Doctor, Family, Grateful, Sick

After taking my dad to the Emergency Room for severe dizziness, the doctor sent us home with some heavy medication. The doctor did warn us of it’s potency, but the hope was to help calm things down. I gave my dad one pill the next morning. He slept for a couple of hours and was still extremely dizzy when he woke up and talked of some interesting dreams he was having. He tried to eat a little, but was nauseous and it didn’t stay down. I did my best to keep some fluids in him. After a while, he was ready for another pill. I was hesitant, but it was time to be able to take another one, and he was really struggling and looking for some kind of relief. I gave him another dose. Back to sleep he went. After a couple of hours, it was time for his regular medication. My mom and I tried to wake him up, but although he would respond somewhat, he could not stay awake and had no desire to. I called his primary care on call nurse who said to get him back to the hospital. I had to make another call to 911 as there was no way my mom and I were going to get him in the car. When they arrived, my dad asked if they were real or a dream. He would wake a few seconds, say silly things, and then be out again. Needless to say, we went back to the hospital where he was admitted and slept another entire day away. I was so glad he was there getting the fluids and care he needed. He called bright and early this morning to let me know that they had moved him to a new room. Although he sounded tired, he also sounded more coherent. My mom and I made our way to the hospital after breakfast and were surprised and delighted to see him more awake, alert, and getting out of bed with help from the nurse. He hadn’t been upright in 4 days. He was still tired, a little frustrated, and wanted to go home. The head doctor said that all the tests they had run did not show anything major wrong such as a stroke. The diagnosis was still vertigo – an issue with the inner ear. The physical therapist and occupational therapist came in and worked with him a bit. They did a dizzy maneuver on him that sent him into a spin, but seemed to really do some good. He walked around quite a bit and even went up and down some stairs. He was released from the hospital this afternoon and we were all happy to have him home. He seems to being doing pretty good now – weak from not eating, but his dizziness has subsided. I am so grateful for being on the recovery end of another episode.

I Found God today in amazing things that medical professionals can do to correct problems and grateful that my dad is home to recover.

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Oh No, Vertigo

Posted by eph21920 on March 16, 2016 in Connected, Family, Grateful

The other day my dad woke up early in the morning very dizzy. We did what we could to help him get through it and made him an appointment with his doctor. Unfortunately, he got so dizzy and nauseous that he couldn’t even get up from a lying position, much less make it out to the car. So, we ended up calling 911. The wonderful – as usual – EMT’s came and after they assessed the situation, we chatted while we awaited the ambulance. We have had them come more times than I would like. I recognized one gentleman in particular and commented that I thought he had been to the house before. He agreed and it didn’t take long to figure out that he was one who came when my mother had a stroke. He had called the hospital and gave them a stroke alert so when my mother arrived, they were fully prepared for her. That resulted in a speedy diagnosis, administering the “miracle medication”, and my mom’s amazing recovery. I was glad to take the opportunity to thank him for his response and work. As for my dad, once in the over packed Emergency Room, they did lots of tests which were inconclusive, and diagnosed him with Vertigo. I have had that severe dizziness before and could sympathize with his agony. They sent us home with heavy medication to try to calm things down. I was glad to only have spent a few hours in the hospital and have a non life threatening diagnosis.

I Found God today in being able to re-connect with one of the men who were instrumental in helping my mom and in a somewhat favorable diagnosis for my dad.

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