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Blessings in the Day

Posted by eph21920 on February 11, 2016 in Eucharist, Faith, Family, Food, Friends, Grateful

I was feeling so blessed today. Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Of course, I feel blessed because of my encounter at Lourdes when I was a child. I wrote about the specifics of that experience last year. So, her feast day is always on my calendar. There was a special Mass at the cathedral today including Anointing of the Sick. I was so happy my parents wanted to go. They both got anointed and both felt better as the day went on. What a blessing. I feel so blessed that they raised me in faith, helped me to know God, and continue to practice what they have always taught. I am blessed to have been able to go to Mass 2 days in a row – and not even on a weekend – and receive Christ in Communion. It really does make a difference. I remembered a story that a friend shared a couple of weeks ago. She was in a candy store and bought some nonpareils. She was chatting with another customer who said that if they used those at church for communion, they would get a lot more people to come. My friend was stunned that she would make such a comment. Once she got over the shock, she replied that the ones in church are way better. And they are – heavenly.

I Found God today in celebrating Mass with my parents and being able to realize many blessings in the day.

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Lent For Others

Posted by eph21920 on February 10, 2016 in Faith, Family, Lent, Love

Today was my mom’s first session of a group voice therapy. It was a very small group – just 1 other person. She was an older woman who also has Parkinson’s and is living with her daughter. We all went into a room and after some warm-up exercises, the therapist instructed my mom and the other woman on having a conversation with one another. It was evident that the participant really struggled. Her legs were constantly moving and it was very difficult to hear and understand what she was trying to say. My mom strained to listen and piece the words together. She felt bad telling her that she couldn’t hear her. At the end of the session, the therapist asked what they thought. The woman said she thought my mom sounded like she didn’t need the help at all. My mom is able to speak up when she thinks about it, but it is hard for her to keep it that way. Later, I asked my mom if she thought the class would be beneficial to her. She said she thought it would even though her and the other participant are so unevenly matched. It occurred to me that in a group setting, people are there to encourage others. That in itself is helpful to all parties. Perhaps this is my mom’s roll in this particular class. Sometimes we go into a situation thinking it is about us and getting what we want out of it, when in reality, we are there to help others. I thought this was particularly meaningful as we begin Lent. I always think about not only what to “give up”, but also what to do to help strengthen my relationship with God. At church tonight, I realized Lent is not even all about me. It is about others. As we do these things to get closer to God, we get to know Him more. As we do that, we realize that God loves not only us, but those around us. As we realize that more, we understand that our short lives are not all about doing and getting what we want, but it is about love – more specifically loving others. So, during Lent, while I am trying to do all these “things”, I am going to try hardest to put my focus on others. Everyone will benefit then.

I Found God today beginning Lent with an “others” focus.

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Family Joy

Posted by eph21920 on February 9, 2016 in Baby, Connected, Family, Joy

I was so happy today to video chat with my son, his wife, and their kids. I am used to my brothers calling and seeing one face on a phone or ipad, so the 5 of them really filled up the screen. We recapped the football game and my dad put on a bit of a fashion show of previous Super Bowl shirts. My son gave us a video tour of his home office where they were all huddled around his computer. The older grandson has been a teenager for 2 months now and I noticed his voice is getting lower. He was also happy to announce that he is as tall as his mom and has some hairs growing on his upper lip. I was impressed with the expanding vocabulary of my younger grandson. He is as enthusiastic as ever and now in a more articulate way. He really makes me laugh. My granddaughter is now sitting up on her own and of course chewing on everything. Her older brothers loved to make her laugh. The family is just so full of positive energy and life that comes right through the computer. It filled me and my parents with joy.

I Found God today in the contagious joy of family.

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Political Hot Spot

Posted by eph21920 on February 8, 2016 in Connected, Friends, Grateful, Opportunity

There is nothing like politics in New Hampshire. When I first moved to the place, everyone told me about it, but when I first experienced it for myself, I understood. People take politics and their candidates very seriously. And because NH truly is state with small communities, during campaign season candidates turn up literally anywhere. I met a few when I was there and heard many. I no longer live there, but still keep in touch with people who do. Yesterday I got a text from a friend who said she attended Mass with Jeb Bush and his wife and was so excited. Then on social media, another friend said that she just had just offered Communion to Jeb Bush – she was a Eucharistic Minister at the same Mass. I watched some of the recent debate and scanned the crowd but couldn’t make out any faces. Today I came across some pictures of all the candidates in different settings. I recognized many of the places. One in particular is a restaurant that my daughter-in-law’s mother takes the family for breakfast on Sunday mornings. I looked further and came across a photo of a candidate at a “house party”. I actually saw someone I know who was in attendance. All of this reminded me of what a great opportunity I had living in a political hot spot and being able to experience our political system at the grass roots. Regardless of what one might think about the system or the candidates, we are privileged in this country to elect our leaders. I was also reminded me of all the people I know who are going to the polls tomorrow to exercise their freedom to vote. As the motto goes – “Live Free or Die”.

I Found God today in remembering the freedom of the country we live in.

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Celebratory Day

Posted by eph21920 on February 7, 2016 in Birthday, Connected, Family, Fun, Happiness, Laughter

We had such a great celebratory day today. First we had a birthday party for my sister who is turning 50. She and her husband bought a farm last year and are preparing to get some chickens in the next few months. She has also already purchased all the special seeds for her garden, which she will be expanding this year. My parents talked about how my sister was a plant and animal lover from the beginning. Earlier in the week, my dad got a great idea to make her a photo album of her and her pets and plants throughout the years. It was so much fun watching her look through the album as we talked about the memories the pictures invoked. My sister and I made a cake that looked like a garden, complete with fondant carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, and lettuce. I was so grateful that a friend taught me how to use the stuff last year. We also made my sister a flock of origami ducks out of paper money to help her buy her chicken things. We would have made chickens, but couldn’t find a pattern for that. After her party, we switched gears for the for the Super Bowl party. My nephew decorated the basement and we brought down tons of snacks. My sister put together a family football pool, so that was a fun way to stay connected to people who were not physically present. And I found some football bingo cards that made it even more fun to keep track of the game. I was glad it was an exciting game, and even more glad that the Broncos won. I was indeed rooting for them. We laughed, celebrated, and ate from about noon until the end of the game. It was such a fun day.

I Found God today enjoying a wonderful celebration with my family.

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Being Creative

Posted by eph21920 on February 6, 2016 in Birthday, Family, Joy, Plan

This afternoon my sister and her son came over to help get ready for the big party. My other sister is turning 50, so tomorrow we are celebrating her birthday in the early afternoon, then having a Super Bowl 50 party later in the evening. My sister, nephew, mom, dad, and I all were busy being very creative as we put the finishing touches on the plans we have been making for weeks now. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to tomorrow.

I Found God today in being creative with family.

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Sharing Joy

Posted by eph21920 on February 5, 2016 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Joy

My dad has been a photographer since he was a teenager. He worked for school newspapers and yearbooks, and has been involved in several camera clubs and organizations through the years. He has thousands of photos, negatives, and slides; some that date back 80 years or more. He printed his own pictures with darkroom equipment for years. As time progressed, he used computers and professional scanners and printers. The house is like a museum with the walls filled with displays of different themed photos – keyboards, people working, super close ups, overseas tours, red flowers, pets . . . and he changes them from time to time. My dad got a new computer a while ago and had troubles getting any of the printing equipment to work, which was very frustrating. He spoke to the support team the other day and finally got it working. Today he got out some old slides and negatives announced that he was able to get some scanned that he never was able to do before. I love looking at the photos he takes and hearing the stories behind them. It was great to see his frustration turn into joy and excitement.

I Found God today sharing in my dad’s joy.

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Thankful Day

Posted by eph21920 on February 4, 2016 in Faith, Grateful, Prayer

I talk to God a lot about needs. I ask Him to help me with this or that, I ask His protection over friends and family, I lift up people and situations to Him that are in need of particular help at the present time, etc. And all this is good. We should pray about all our cares and concerns and trust that God will take care of us and those we love according to His perfect plan. But part way through, I realized that I don’t thank God enough for all that He provides for me and my friends and family every day. Years ago, a very wise woman taught me how to be more grateful. She said to thank God for everything during the day. Instead of feeling burdened with doing the dishes, for example, thank Him for the food we have to eat, the dishes to put the food on, the people to eat with, and a place to share a meal together. I decided that I need to work on a more grateful attitude, so today I would try to remember that and thank God during the day. I thanked Him for breakfast food. I thanked Him that my parents both were up and functioning. I thanked Him for the morning prayer, which by the way said to have an attitude of gratitude. And so it went. When it was difficult to push the shopping cart through the non-snowplowed parking lot, I thanked God for the food, the money to purchase it, the people who provided the food, for the vehicle to drive to the store, and for the snow that made nature look more beautiful and provided necessary water. Doing this throughout the day helped to keep my mind on God’s goodness.

I Found God today in realizing His goodness more fully and being grateful for it.

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Unexpected Encouragement

Posted by eph21920 on February 3, 2016 in Faith, Friends, Joy, Mercy

Today I received an encouraging note from a beautiful soul that I haven’t seen in over a year. We would see each other in church meetings and such and talk about how best to reach out to other people. She was always a kind face that reflected her loving heart. It meant so much to me that she would take the time to write. Her words were unexpected, uplifting, and supportive. I got choked up when I read it. To me, it was God in her heart touching my heart.

I Found God today in unexpected words of encouragement.

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Quiet Snowy Day

Posted by eph21920 on February 2, 2016 in Family, Weather

I got up this morning and just like a kid ran to the window to see the result of the snowstorm that came through. As I suspected, the world was covered in a blanket of white. It snowed on and off the whole day. My mom cancelled her therapy appointment, so there were no worries about having to travel. I had stocked up at the store a couple of days ago in preparation, so no worries about needing anything. We just stayed in and stayed warm and dry. I enjoyed watching the weather go from windy and blowing snow, to moments of sun peeking through, to snow showers with large flakes, to pieces of blue sky. My parents and I worked on an upcoming birthday party for my sister. We also worked on a puzzle that we got out a couple days ago. We watched the news about how the homeless are being taken care of and how people are helping those around them. That made me happy. It was really just a quiet day at home – thankfully.

I Found God today in a quiet day staying in and watching the beautiful weather.

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