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Positive Despite Loss

Posted by eph21920 on October 27, 2015 in Death, Service

Today I took my mom to a dentist appointment and got comfortable for the long wait. After a while, an older man came in. I didn’t want to listen to their conversation on purpose, but it was a very small space and it was a beautiful conversation. The receptionist said she was sorry to hear of the passing of his wife. Evidently she had died 6 months ago. She asked how he was doing. He got teary eyed but said he was doing ok. He showed her his wedding ring and said that his wife had put that on his finger 43 years ago and he was not going to take it off. He talked about a conversation he had with his young grandson about his wife’s death and that it was difficult to explain to child. He said his son came for a few days and wanted him to make other living arrangements as he did not like him living alone. So, he is in the process of cleaning out the house. Laughing, he said until then, he would get a cell phone and a fitbit or something so he can show that his heart is still beating. When he was finished with his appointment, he came back to check out. The ladies who worked in the office told him to have a good time where he volunteers. He said he had to tell them about volunteers – they are paid nothing, not because they are worth nothing, but because they are priceless. I admired his great attitude and desire to keep moving forward.

I Found God today in a man who was caring, positive, and persevering, despite a great loss he recently experienced.

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Blessed Day With Friends

Posted by eph21920 on October 26, 2015 in Creation, Family, Food, Friends, Grateful, Happiness, Relationship

I was blessed to spend another day with my good friends. I met them at their bed and breakfast to start our day. Just before I got to the entrance, I spotted a buck grazing right along the road. I took a couple pictures and thought it was a wonderful way to begin. My friends had learned a lot about different sites while talking with the other guests over breakfast, so they had a pretty good plan put together. Off we went. We started by driving up a canyon until we reached the bottom of the fall that fed the stream. We found the parking area mostly empty and got out and hiked a beautiful trail up to the top, taking in the scenery along the way. As we made our way down, there were several people making their way up. We were happy that we had a relatively quiet time of it. Back in the car, we went on a dirt road that followed a ridge along the upper part of the canyon leading through a couple of tunnels. On the way, we saw a red-tailed hawk in a tree overlooking his territory. We stopped to take some pictures and saw his – or her – partner soaring high above, then swooping down. After a few minutes, the hawk in the tree joined the flight. We descended back to the city and stopped for lunch. As we ate, clouds covered the area and it rained the whole time. We talked about what our options were for the rest of the afternoon and perhaps an indoor activity, but when we went out to the car we could see the sun trying to peek through. We decided to try to stick with the plan and headed over to the next hiking destination. There were several cars leaving the place when we arrived. It was still raining a bit, but we were hopeful. We waited a few minutes and it seemed to clear, so we packed up our things and headed out. After walking a little,  clouds rolled back in and it was evident that we would be getting wet. It did start raining on us, but only sprinkled and only for a few minutes. Then the sun came out and it was gorgeous for the rest of the hike. At one point, we saw a rainbow. At the end of the afternoon, we headed back to my parents and witnessed first a breath taking sunset, then an amazing full moon. My brother had cooked a delicious dinner that really hit the spot after a busy day. I said a sad good-bye to my friends as they left. They will fly out early in the morning. I was so grateful that they took the time to come visit, that the weather cooperated, that we saw such beautiful sights, and that it worked out at home for me to be able to spend such a wonderful couple of days with good friends.

I Found God today in the close relationship with friends, the beauty of nature, seemingly perfect timing, and everything working out at home.

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Day With Far Away Friends

Posted by eph21920 on October 25, 2015 in Creation, Friends

Today some very good friends who live far away arrived for a visit. We met when I was working in the church and I haven’t seen them for a year. I was so excited to see them and was teary eyed as we hugged hello. They came early in the morning, so we had breakfast and were able to go to Mass together with my parents. I thought about what a wonderful support they have been for so many years and the different Masses we have attended together. They brought some items that were blessed by Pope Francis during his recent visit that a mutual friend had obtained from his trip to the World Meeting of Families. We tried to get caught up on all the happenings with the kids and friends. It has been a long time, so there was a lot to talk about and we may have just brushed the surface. It was a beautiful day, so we went for a hike in the afternoon. I took them to one of my favorite spots and we went all around, taking in the gorgeous scenery. We talked about how just about everyone enjoys the beauty of nature and how God’s creation touches us all. As it was getting late, we decided to take a different trail back to the car to see some new sites. The sun started to set and the moon started to rise. That made for an amazing backdrop to the already striking scenery. I was really glad we had decided to take the different trail. We found the bed and breakfast they were staying in for the night. It was a lovely old mansion of a house with large bedrooms. There was only 1 other couple staying there, so they almost had the place to themselves. We went out for a delicious dinner and I am very ready to turn in for the night. But, I am excited to get up tomorrow morning and start it over again.

I Found God today having a wonderful day with great friends.

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Long Distance Celebration

Posted by eph21920 on October 24, 2015 in Birthday, Children, Family

Today is my younger son’s birthday. My sister and I called him and left him a voicemail singing “Happy Birthday”. Then I sent him a message on social media. As I was about to text him – making sure I covered all bases – he called. He has several friends whose birthdays are around the same time. For the past few years since he has been in college, I have made a large cake and brought it up to them. This year I was unable to since I live so far away now. So, I found a bakery that is close to them and ordered a cake. It wasn’t quite the same, but I am sure they will enjoy it. He and his friends went out on the town to celebrate. I always tell them to, “Make Good Choices!” I texted them tonight and asked for a picture so I could be sure they were actually making good choices. They did send a couple of pictures and it made me laugh. It was the next best thing to being there.

I Found God today in being able to somewhat celebrate my son’s birthday with him even though I am so far away.

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Many Meals

Posted by eph21920 on October 23, 2015 in Family, Food, Grateful

I have been staying with my sister for a couple of weeks helping her as she continues to get stronger and heal with her broken leg. We have all been very blessed that my brother has been able to stay with my parents during this time. I will be leaving to go back to my parents and I want to make sure that my sister is as prepared as she can be. The other day we picked out some recipes that will be easy to make and off I went to the grocery store. I came back with a giant back of assorted meats, canned goods, and fresh veggies. I have spent the last couple of days cooking up a storm. Each day meant a new meal in the crock pot with the leftovers frozen in individual containers. I also put together ingredients in freezer bags for additional meals, so all she has to do is take out a bag and pop it in the crock pot. Hopefully these meals will keep her fed for a couple of weeks. Today I made the last one – minestrone soup. It was warm, delicious, and made plenty of leftovers. As I cooked, I thought of others who don’t have as much food or assistance when they need it. I thanked God for being where I am and the capability of providing necessities.

I Found God today in being able to help provide meals for my sister.

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Missing Birthdays

Posted by eph21920 on October 22, 2015 in Birthday, Children, Family

Sometimes it feels like time is zipping by so quickly. My children both have birthdays within a couple of days. It can be hard for me to believe that I have a son who has children of his own – but so it is. I miss being able to celebrate their birthdays with them since I moved so far away. I was happy to video chat with my older son, his wife, and my grandchildren tonight. My 2 month old granddaughter changes so quickly. She was talking up a storm as she is finding the noises she can make with her voice and I even saw her smile. The next oldest is in 3rd grade now. He showed me his math homework and said that he doesn’t want to go to school tomorrow because he is having a test on it. But he said he studied already, so he will do well. My older grandson is now in junior high school and going to his first dance tomorrow night. He will be taking his girlfriend. Again – hard to believe. I just loved being able to see them all and chat about important things and just things in general. It made my day.

I Found God today in being able to see and talk with my son and his family.

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Much Needed Massage

Posted by eph21920 on October 21, 2015 in Healing, Life

It has been a crazy hectic few months. I have been busy, busy trying to do my best to make sure my parents have what they need and help my sister get her place in order and meals prepared so she doesn’t have too much to worry about as her broken leg continues to heal. So – it has been pretty physically demanding on me and my poor neck and shoulders have been aching, stiff, and sore. My sister knows a woman who does massage therapy and got me an appointment for today. I laid on the wonderful heated table and did my best to relax as she worked through some of the knots that set up residence under my shoulder blades. It was one of those “it hurts so good” experiences. Tonight my arms felt like noodles, but I definitely wasn’t as tense and tight. I realized that I should probably have this done a little more often to keep myself in the best working condition. It was funny that the “Daily Food for Thought” that I subscribe to said today, “The body is like money, in this sense, it is a horrible master but an excellent servant.” My sister and I have been trying to figure out all day exactly what that means. I often feel that my body really is the boss of me and that I have to fight to try to make it do what I want it to do. Perhaps that is the point – to keep on going even though I don’t necessarily “feel” like it, but also to know my limits and practice self control when it is needed.

I Found God today in a wonderful massage to help my body feel better and be able to function properly.

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Finding Barley

Posted by eph21920 on October 20, 2015 in Answer, Connected, Life, Shopping, Struggles

Today I needed to get some shopping done for my sister to help her get some meals prepared. It is always hard going to different stores, but since I have stayed with her for the past couple of weeks as her broken leg continues to heal, I have been getting to know where to find things in her local supermarket. We decided to make some beef and barley soup in the crock pot, but I had a hard time finding the barley. I looked in the aisle with the rice and found everything else. As I continued down, I found quick cooking barley, which would not work in the recipe. I went down the next aisle and found a bag of barley on the bottom shelf all the way in the corner. I was surprised that it was so hard to find. As I went down the next aisle and stopped to peruse the shelves, an employee of the store was struggling trying to help an elderly man find an item. “It should be right here.” he insisted. I thought I heard the man say, “I just need barley.” The employee headed off to find someone else to help and I asked the man if he said he was looking for barley. He said he was. I was happy to show him just where I found it in the previous aisle. But, that was not the kind he was looking for. His wife needed quick cooking barley. We headed over to the next aisle and found the box that I had spotted before. The employee appeared again and I showed him where I found the items. The elderly man was very grateful. I thought it was funny that I had to go through that little exercise to find that specific item for the gentleman.

I Found God today in the ability to be helpful.

 

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Our Amazing World

Posted by eph21920 on October 19, 2015 in Creation, Family

My younger sister is between jobs at this time, so we have decided to spend one day a week doing something together and enjoyable. Today was a free day at the museum of nature and science, so that was our destination. It was very thought provoking as we basically made our way through time. We walked through the “beginning” of Earth and Darwin’s theory of evolution. The statement that struck me was, “99% of all species that have ever lived are now extinct”. I thought that was pretty bold. We continued on the journey through the different eras and saw remains of the different animals of the time periods – some tiny, others huge. It was hard to imagine the place we live in being overrun by dinosaurs. We also went through the Egyptian display and saw some mummies – creepy. I found it interesting that it was the normal practice for thousands of years until Christianity entered the society. And we made sure to get through the space exhibit. A man was showing the planets in our solar system and then beyond. He said that scientists now believe there are more planets than grains of sand on all the beaches of Earth. Another bold, mind boggling statement. At lunch, my sister and I talked about a current mindset that thinks that religion and science do not co-exist. I think that is an absurd thought. Many of the most prominent and influential scientists believed in God – Copernicus, Keplar, Galileo, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein. Our world has order and structure. At the same time, it is incredibly complex. We – human beings – seem to think we have things figured out, yet we are always learning more about the incredible world we live in. I personally think it takes more faith to believe that all of creation just came into being on it’s own – the uncountable grains of sand on our beaches to the infinite stars in the sky – than to believe in a Creator.

I Found God today in pondering the amazing world we live in.

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Stunning Sunrise

Posted by eph21920 on October 18, 2015 in Connected, Creation, Family, Joy

I haven’t been up to see the sunrise in quite a while, but this morning I woke at just the right time. I wasn’t really sure if the sun was already up as I knew it would be a cloudy morning and it did not seem to be particularly bright. It didn’t really matter – I was in the mood for a long quiet walk either way. I grabbed my phone and pulled on my sweatshirt and gloves to stay warm in the crisp autumn air. As I opened the door, I noticed a brilliant orange gleam – it was the sky. The sun was just making it’s way above the horizon. The clouds were a brilliant orange and the mountain range was glowing red and pink. I hurried to one of my favorite viewing spots on a hill and took a few pictures. The brilliant colors didn’t last long and I felt blessed to have seen such a gorgeous sight. I did take my long walk and when I got home, I was excited to show my pictures to my sister. She had just seen some pictures that our brother-in-law had taken at the same time, only about 50 miles away. He captured the same beautiful colors that I saw, only with a different background. Later in the day, my brother and dad came home from the cabin. My dad looked so relaxed and happy – I was grateful for that. My brother told me that he was outside early this morning and saw an amazing sunrise. He said he could see a far off mountain range with vivid oranges and reds. I showed him my pictures. He had seen the same brilliance, only another 50 miles away in a completely different direction. I thought it was pretty awesome that the 3 of us all experienced the same joy of the beautiful sunrise, even though there was quite a bit of distance between us. I am sure there were thousands of others who enjoyed it as well.

I Found God today in the beauty of the sunrise and being able to share the experience with others.

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