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Priest Anniversary

Posted by eph21920 on September 17, 2015 in Faith, Friends, Grateful, Priest

Today is the anniversary of when a friend of mine became a priest. I thought about this and remembered the day of his ordination. I had known him only a year or two at the time, but he had already made a big impression on me. He would come to retreats and talk to the kids about how he used to be a reporter and show them videos of him at his previous job. Over the years, he became a spiritual adviser that I would lean heavily on in times of trouble. More recently, he helped me to discern the decision to move to be with my parents. We are pretty far away from each other now and I miss him tremendously. But I know that he is making big impressions on many other people. I am grateful for his commitment to God and those he serves.

I Found God today in thinking about a good friend who is a wonderful priest.

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Healed Thumb

Posted by eph21920 on September 15, 2015 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Healing

My dad has been wearing a splint on his broken thumb for weeks. It kept his thumb straight and he laughed about his permanent “thumb’s up”. Of course, it has been tedious trying to do things with only 1 working thumb – and that one being his left one when he is right-handed. But he has been a pretty good patient during the whole endeavor. He did get tired of wearing it, though, and was just about ready to ditch it himself. Today he had an appointment with the hand doctor. The doctor took x-rays and was very pleased with the way things turned out. He gave the green light to take off the splint during the day. It only needs to be worn at night for a couple weeks, or if there is a situation where my dad is concerned about hurting his thumb. The therapist who has been working with him during this time gave my dad some exercises to do to get full movement back to the thumb. And, she said there is no need to return unless he needs some additional help or has problems. This was wonderful news. As soon as we got home, my dad practiced picking things up.

I Found God today in great news that my dad’s thumb has healed very well.

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Angel in a Time of Need

Posted by eph21920 on September 14, 2015 in Angel, Family, Grateful, Healing, Hurt

As my mom and I were out walking today, we met up with a neighbor. It was the man who was quick on the scene when my father fell and broke his thumb. The more I talk to him, the more I realize what an angel he was and what a blessing it is that my father’s injuries weren’t worse. The neighbor was in the military, so he saw his share of accidents and incidents. When my father fell, he knew just what to do. He saw that the top of my dad’s thumb was bent over and the bone had broken the skin. He got some wet towels and wrapped up the thumb. The hand therapist said that was exactly the right thing to do and if it had dried, it would not have gone back together so easily – if at all. Today in talking with the neighbor, he asked if my dad had feeling in the tip of his thumb. I replied that he had from the beginning – it had not been a problem. The man said that he was very lucky that the break did not sever the nerve that runs up the thumb. My mom and I agreed that he was very lucky in many ways and thanked the neighbor one more time for being there and helping so promptly. We know that he was my dad’s angel at that point in time.

I Found God today in sending exactly the right person to help my dad in his time of need.

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Signs of Jesus

Posted by eph21920 on September 13, 2015 in Faith, Family, Grateful, Healing, Jesus, Prayer

A few years ago, my daughter-in-law’s mother fought a battle against ovarian cancer – and won. Every year since then, the family has done the fundraising walk. This year, my grandson made t-shirts for him, his brother, and his new little sister. They were very creative and very cute. I saw pictures from the walk today and thought about what a blessing it is that her mother is doing well and that this gives everyone an opportunity to be re-grateful. It was a busy day in our household as my sister does a little more and continues to build strength. We looked at her infection a couple of times, and when we checked it tonight after saying our 2nd Novena prayer, it looked so much better. We promptly thanked God. Since my dad’s fall, it has been weeks since he has been to church. He decided to go today and made it through. We were all very happy about that. On the way home, we stopped to get the mail that we did not pick up yesterday. There were 2 cards in it for me which were unexpected and warmed my heart. At church, there was a young girl who was strapped into use a large contraption so that she could be mobile. It was a wheeled device that was mostly behind her and had armrests. It held her in an upright position so she was able to move her legs to walk. There was an older woman with her who struggled in her movements as well and I wondered if they may have the same kind of disease. It had to be a chore for them to just get to church, but it was obviously important enough for them to make it happen. At Mass, one of the scripture readings was Mark 8:27-35. Jesus asks his apostles who they think he is. There are many answers until Peter nails it – “You are the Messiah”. Accepting this reality changes the way we live – what we think about, how we treat people, how we spend our time, what we do with our money, and ultimately how we face the end of our lives. Jesus is hope, love, healing, peace. He is present in each of us.

I Found God today in a friend’s remission of cancer, in the continued support and gratefulness of family and friends, in a positive day for my healing sister, in my dad’s ability to go to church, in unexpected encouragement, in a lesson learned of perseverance, in the person of Jesus Christ and how He has changed my life.

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Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

Posted by eph21920 on September 12, 2015 in Faith, Family, Healing, Mary, Prayer

Today the Home Health Care provider came and talked with my sister to get services set up. He had some good information and suggestions to help her recover and heal. She does have a skin infection that her doctor noted and has started taking antibiotics for. We are a bit concerned as she had MRSA previously. Today I was contemplating the illnesses and accidents happening in the family and wondering what more I could do about it. It occurred to me that we have many tools to engage in the battle of life. This evening, my mother and I both thought about Our Lady of Lourdes. When I was a child, we both went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, where a young girl had apparitions of Mary the Mother of Jesus Christ almost 150 years ago. It was by far the most spiritual experience I have ever had and I believe is responsible for the “remission” of the Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis that I got when I was about 3 years old. We started a novena to Our Lady of Lourdes tonight. A few years ago, a good priest friend of mine gave me a relic of some flowers from the grotto at Lourdes. I also received some holy water from a friend who visited there last year. We each blessed ourselves. So, basically, we are taking up arms here on a higher level. I look forward to an upward swing.

I Found God today in a reminder of the tools He has given us to help us through our lives.

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9-11-01

Posted by eph21920 on September 11, 2015 in Connected, Death

Today my sister was discharged from the rehabilitation center. I went to pick her up and bring her to our house where she will spend a couple of weeks getting stronger before she goes to her own home. Her son came as well and we got some things in order for her. She is exhausted, so I pray that she will get some sleep tonight. I thought it was interesting that today was called her, “Independence Day” – especially in the fact that we remember 9-11-01 on this day. I saw many tributes and pictures to mark that day. My older son had just visited the site a couple of days ago and shared all his pictures today. The pictures were beautiful, but a little bit eerie too. I can only imagine what it must have been for him as he was actually there. Another friend shared a video of the 2 lights beaming into the night sky. It was so quiet. I also came across a prayer for peace, so I prayed that.

I Found God today in the tributes to continue to remember the tragedy of 9-11-01 – those who died or were injured, their families, the first responders, etc. – and I glad that this continues.

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Grateful for Caretakers

Posted by eph21920 on September 10, 2015 in Family, Grateful, Healing, Sick

I spent the day with my sister as she prepares to come to our house for a few weeks to continue recovering from her broken leg. First thing in the morning, the transport van came to take us to my sister’s doctor appointment. She was a little loopy from her pain medication, but funny. The guy driving the van was really nice and a good sport as we joked around with him. He said that he was a firefighter full time and an ambulance driver/transport driver part time. He was working hard now as his wife is in school to become a CNA. We told him how much we appreciated what he did and how it takes a certain kind of person to be able to do that job. At the doctor’s office, we made our way into the “cast room”, which is a very big room with curtains dividing it into sections for a bit of privacy. The cast guy took off the bandages from my sister’s leg exposing the stitches from the surgery and the scary looking leg. He was also very nice and funny as we gave him a hard time. We saw him taking care of other people as we waited. He brought us a copy of the x-ray so we could see all the hardware in her leg. It was pretty amazing. The doctor came in to take a good look at everything and the new x-ray. He was pleased at the way things were progressing with the exception of a small skin infection and some swelling. So, instead of putting a cast on her leg, the cast guy found a walking boot that fit, even though she can put no weight on it. It was somewhat troublesome and painful to get her knee and ankle in the right positions to slide the boot on, so that was no fun. After the appointment, the same driver took us back to the rehab facility. Once back in her room, several people came in to see how the appointment went, what she needed, and plans for discharging her tomorrow. On the way home, I stopped at a medical supply company to get some needed accessories. The woman there was equally as helpful. While it was a tough time for my sister, we were surrounded with so many concerned, caring people. These people will likely never receive an award, or a story in the news, but they influence many lives every day and I am grateful for them.

I Found God today in gifted, empathetic people who spend their lives caring for others.

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Strong Enough

Posted by eph21920 on September 9, 2015 in Faith, Family, Music, Struggles

My mom, dad, and I visited my sister in the rehab facility today. She will be discharged in a couple days and will be staying with us for a few weeks before going to her home in Denver. This will give her time to gain some strength and get some things in place at her house. We had a long talk about what she needed and how we might make things work out while she is with us. My mom jokingly – or not so much – called our house the rehab center. It is true, that is what it has been since I moved in. Sometimes I question if it is me? Sometimes I also wonder how I can be strong enough to take care of the people and things that need to be taken care of. This evening on the way home from running errands, the song, “Strong Enough”, by Matthew West came on. The first words are:

“You must, You must think I’m strong
To give me what I’m going through

Well forgive me
Forgive me if I’m wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own”

I chuckled as I listened as this is just how I feel. The song continues with:

“I know I’m not strong enough to be
Everything that I’m supposed to be
I give up
I’m not stong enough
Hands of mercy won’t you cover me
Lord right now I’m asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us ”

I go through my days praying A LOT and doing my best to do my part just for the day and give the rest to God, trusting that He knows the outcome of all of this, and that He loves me and my people way more than I can even imagine. I try to remind myself of past difficulties that I have been through that He has turned into such blessings. So it will be here.

I Found God today in a song that reminded me that I don’t have to do everything on my own.

 

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Loving Family Support

Posted by eph21920 on September 8, 2015 in Family, Love, Marriage

Today is my son and his wife’s wedding anniversary. I was remembering last year when they celebrated by having their marriage blessed in a church ceremony. They had their dream wedding that they were not able to have when they were first married by a justice of peace. This year was a completely different scenario. My son had to go out of town this morning on a business trip leaving his wife with the kids. On top of that, it was the first day of school. I knew it would be a difficult day for my son. And maybe even more so, a rough day for my daughter-in-law as she got the boys packed up, pictures taken, and off to school with baby in tote. I was happy to hear that she and the baby spent the day with her sister and mother. I have been so proud of the life my son and his wife have made for themselves and their children. The love they have for each other is evident and has trickled down to their kids. And they are so blessed to have the loving support of her family right around the corner.

I Found God today in the loving support of family.

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An Early Phone Call

Posted by eph21920 on September 7, 2015 in Family, Youth

I woke at 4:00 this morning to a ringing phone. I could see it was my college age nephew who lives in the next city over. He has been taking complete responsibility of himself since his mother is in rehab with a broken leg. Of course my first thoughts were, “What happened . . . is he OK?” When I answered, I heard something I didn’t at all expect. “Can you open the door?” It took me a couple seconds to realize what he was saying. I continued to talk to him to figure out what was happening as I went up the stairs and opened the front door. There he was, safe and sound, phone in one hand and a gallon of milk in the other. He asked if I got his text the night before. I looked and did, but I was sleeping and never heard the phone. He had worked overnight and then drove up to the house. He figured he would get some sleep and then visit his mother. He had it all planned out. By driving at this time, he would beat the traffic rush – which he did. He even brought a change of clothes and such. Evidently he stopped along the way and picked up a much needed gallon of milk. Knowing that there was about an hour drive ahead of him, he put the milk on the floor with the air conditioner on it to keep it cold. We chatted a bit before going to sleep. When he woke up later in the morning, we went over to visit his mom. She was so happy to see him and showed him off to the people she had met in the facility. I busied myself so they could have some much needed mother/son time. Before we left, we talked about the different options for when my sister is released from rehab as they consider the best place and plan for them both. On the way back to my home, we stopped at the store to load up with groceries. My nephew is still enjoying his “I am a college student” identity and loaded up on spam, bananas, and gatorade among other items. We got his food in a cooler for his drive home and after hugs and “You are welcome here any time!” from my mom and dad, he was on his way. I was so impressed at his thoughtfulness, foresight, and ability to take charge of his situation.

I Found God today in the new responsibility my nephew is showing.

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