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Patience and Computers

My dad has some very old computers that have files, pictures, and information on them. He has been wondering how he would be able to get the information off and into an updated computer format. My brother was at the house and spent most of yesterday and today working on the challenge. He is a computer programmer, so he knows a lot about it. I enjoyed watching them debate and discuss what could be done. My brother would walk away for a while and then think of something else to try. I was especially impressed with his patience – not only in trying to solve the problem, but in the discussions with my dad. In the end, they ordered a device that will help transfer the data from an old computer to the new.

I Found God today in the patience shown by my brother.

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Shared Words of Wisdom

My mom finished her second week of voice therapy and is doing a good job practicing at home. Now for one of her exercises, she reads inspirational quotes out loud. I am sure this is dual purpose – it helps to strengthen her voice AND her spirit. I have enjoyed listening to them as well and try to motivate myself. Today in the mail my mom received a prayer book with some quotes from Fr. Padre Pio, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” Also today I came across a quote shared by a friend that made an impact on me. “There are only two days in the year when nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do, and mostly live.” Dalai Lama. These were some really great words of wisdom that I hope to keep in mind.

I Found God today in the words of wisdom share by spiritual people.

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Healing of Sorts

Last night I said that I was sure my mom would have a wonderful night sleep and wake up refreshed this morning after attending the Healing Mass. In reality, that does not happen very often. But when I saw my mother this morning, she said she had such a good night sleep that she had not had in a very long time. She was energetic and ready for the day. I smiled to myself, knowing exactly what I had written after she went to bed. When she read it later on in the day, she thought it was pretty funny and interesting too. We thanked and praised God.

I Found God today in a healing of sorts for my mom.

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A Healing Mass

Tonight my mother and I attended a “Healing Mass” at our church. The priest was visiting from New Jersey and here for a Catholic conference. He was very charismatic in his words and prayers. The majority of the people in the church were very enthusiastic as his energy was contagious. One thing that really struck me were the 3 things he said we can know from the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. First, that act freed us from our sins. If we repent from them, we are truly forgiven. Second, we have the opportunity to be free from sickness as well. Christ healed people in the scripture and so did His disciples. He wants us to be whole and well. Third, if we are following God’s path for our life, Satan cannot walk that path with us. Satan always tries to pull us off the path, so we need to remain faithful to prayer. He also said that he has read the Bible over 30 times and assured us that he has read the end in which Christ and those who follow Him will win. We know that our world is in a shambles and that evil is all around us. In order to make a difference, we need to separate ourselves from those terrible acts, be a beacon of God’s love, and pray, pray, pray. At the end he prayed over people. As my mom and I waited in the long line, we saw a couple of people who were overcome and fall to the ground. My mom was already weary from the long service and not sure she was up for that, so we decided to leave. Honestly, I was surprised that she had made it that far. I know she will sleep well tonight and wake up refreshed.

I Found God today in a charismatic priest.

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Changing Perspective

Yesterday I had a long conversation with my sister who was having one of “those days”. You know – the kind where nothing seems to go right, decisions seem to be all wrong, work is crazy, the responsibilities of life are overwhelming, and to top it off she had been teaching her son how to drive. It is a lot to juggle. I prayed hard for them last night and all day today I made them my focus. She called tonight with a migraine (not surprising) but cheer in her voice. She had a good meeting at work, things calmed down a bit, and to top it off her son got his drivers license. Even though it is difficult to have a teenage driver in the house, this should alleviate a lot of stress. He also registered for his first semester of college. It was great to hear that this day brought a much different – and better – outlook.

I Found God today in an improved life perspective.

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Holy Communion Delivered

My dad had been struggling to make it to church, so when my mom’s friend comes over, she has been bringing Holy Communion. She brought Communion to people who are home bound and in the hospital, so she has permission to get the consecrated hosts from her church. She came over this morning too and brought the Eucharist without any prompting from my mom. We sat around her while she got ready and opened her little prayer book. My mom, dad, and I listened as she read the scripture. We prayed together and received Holy Communion. It was a very personal moment with Christ in a very private, yet comfortable setting. My dad says he always feels better after receiving Communion. We were very happy that the friend is able to do this and she is very happy to do it.

I Found God today in a true friend of my mom’s and in Holy Communion.

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Love of His Kids

Today, my parents and I went to the lawyer’s office to talk more about estate planning. It has been weighing heavy on my dad’s mind. The lawyer was patient and caring as she listened to the story of the family. My dad wanted her to have a good idea who we are and such to help her make recommendations. As my dad described his children, I could see his eyes welling up with tears. He was so proud of each one and brought up their individual talents and strengths. I welled up too as I listened to his words, and kept trying not to look at him too long so I could keep my composure. I just continue to gain respect for both he and my mom. I imagine that this is how God must feel about each one of us – total and complete love despite all our differences.

I Found God today in the love my father shared for each of us kids.

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Nature Heals the Weary Spirit

Today was a gorgeous day. I got up early early and met my sister and her husband for breakfast. Then we went for a hike. We started at the top of a canyon and followed the trail along the ridge. We stopped at several overlooks to get a good view of the canyon walls and flowing water at the bottom. It seemed that everywhere I looked I spotted wildlife – bunnies, a lizard, and even a fish jumping out of the water. As we continued, we went down to the bottom of the canyon and followed the creek. It was so quiet and serene – just the sound of the trickling water and an occasional bird. We spotted deer tracks, but no deer. When we made our way back up we were pretty hot and ready to take a little rest. We came upon a resting spot with a bench engraved with the quote, “Nature heals the weary spirit. – Stefan Michalak” True, true. We then followed another trail that passed a large picnic area with a gazebo. It was set up for an event and there was a young lady sitting inside the gazebo playing her viola. She was playing a piece from Bach that my brother-in-law loved. It was glorious listening to the music surrounded by the beauty of nature. The morning truly rejuvenated my spirit.

I Found God today in several instances and ways of experiencing nature.

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Caring Dads

It seemed like dad’s day to me today. When I was out running errands, I saw a man carrying a baby in one of those front carrier devices. I thought it was the cutest thing. As I was checking out, a family came by on their way out of the store. Mom was pushing the cart of merchandise and a little girl was tagging along. Dad (I assume) was pushing another cart with another little girl riding inside. The little girl who was walking fell down and started crying. Mom helped her up and encouraged her to keep going. Dad asked if she was OK as they continued to head for the door. I caught up with them after my purchase as they reached the door. The little girl was still crying, so they stopped and dad had picked her up. He said he knew that hurt and he had fallen down too one time. He put her in the cart ever so gently. They followed behind me and actually parked right next to me. Dad acknowledged that the girl was hurt and was so patient and caring with the little girls. I have seen so many parents just try to make their kids stop crying by telling them it’s not so bad. Seeing these men with their children was a breath of fresh air. Later in the day, my daughter-in-law shared that my son worked today, then came home and painted the bedroom to get ready for their little girl. I felt pretty proud of him and could see him treating his little girl the same as the other men I saw.

I Found God today in loving and caring dads.

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Full of Goodness

My parents and I left the house early this morning and started with doctor appointments. First my mom saw the pacemaker clinician. A few weeks ago we connected the pacemaker monitor and transmitted the stored information about the device and how my mom’s heart was working with it. The clinician said that the information showed that the pacemaker is working fine, but that it needs a little more power. So, she turned the voltage up from her seat at the computer. Amazing. Then both my mom and dad saw the cardiologist. Mom was first. She told the doctor that many times she feels tired and weak. He said much of it could be from her medication, but mostly it is because she is 83 years old. That brought a good laugh. Everything else was looking good. Then it was dad’s turn. He talked about his unexplained fainting episode. The doctor did not have the results of the monitor that my dad wore for almost 4 weeks, but both he and my dad felt there would not be anything significant. We will have to see. Other than that, he reduced some of the medication and said my dad should be able to do whatever he wants – including driving. That made my dad pretty happy. Then we went over to my mom’s voice therapy. I have been sitting in the room for this, but today my dad got to have the experience. He was impressed with the process. After that, we went to lunch at a new place that none of us had been to before. The food was great. And even though it was a very noisy place, my mom used her loud voice and we were able to converse somewhat. By the time we got home, we were all exhausted – but in a good way. My dad wasted no time getting behind the wheel and went to the local grocery store to pick up an item. Later, we spoke to my sister on the phone and she was surprised at the volume and clarity of my mom’s speech. All in all, it was an uplifting – though very tiring – day.

I Found God today in good news and experiences during the busy day.