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Respectful and Friendly

Posted by eph21920 on July 3, 2015 in Family, Humor, Shopping, Stranger

Today my mom and I went to the garden store. As we were walking through the door, a man who was an employee was just walking a woman out. He finished his conversation with her and turned to my mom. “Isn’t it just perfect outside?” he asked. “It’s not too hot and not too cold. The sun is shining and there is a cool breeze blowing. It is just perfect!” he added. My mother agreed. He finished with, “It’s like a broken drum – you just can’t beat it!” This made us both laugh. I was tickled at the attention he paid to my mom. We get many different reactions when we go out and about. And it always makes me happy when people talk to her and treat her with the respect she deserves.

I Found God today in the positive attitude and friendliness of a man.

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Do the Good I Want

Posted by eph21920 on July 2, 2015 in Answer, Eucharist, Faith, Prayer

I realized this morning that I was lacking in my silent prayer time the past couple of days. It makes a huge difference in my day when I spend some time in the morning talking and listening to God. So I re-committed (again). I told God that I really want to do what He wants me to do, but it is so hard and I don’t know why. I was reminded of the scripture Romans 7:19
“For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.”  I finished my prayer time and went out to run some errands later in the day. I was near the street of the church and realized that there is Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays. I felt God’s tug on my heart, remembered that I am trying to do what He wants, and swung by the church. I decided that I would not keep track of time – that I would just go before Him and stay until I felt I was finished. I knelt in front of the Eucharist and closed my eyes. I tried not to let my thoughts wander and at the same time not form any prayers or words. I just wanted to allow God to do His work in me. After a while, I felt as if all my worries and concerns were being extracted and brought directly to God where they dissipated. As this happened, I thought of all the people I want to pray for. I felt that they, too, were brought directly to God who will care for them in His way. When this all kind of wound down, I felt very much at peace. I sat a while longer just enjoying the serenity before I made my way out of the church. I was ready to continue my day and so grateful for God’s promptings and that I listened and responded. Oh – the scripture ends like this:

Romans 7:21-25 “So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, l but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I Found God today in Eucharistic Adoration and a reminder that without God, I cannot do the good I want.

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Heavenly Joy

Posted by eph21920 on July 1, 2015 in Children, Faith, Jesus, Joy, Music

So I turned on America’s Got Talent last night. At times they interview a certain act before they come onto the stage, but you never know exactly how it’s going to turn out. A piece came on with a 5-year old little girl named Heavenly Joy. I wondered how her parents came up with that name. She was a truly a bundle of joy. Her little face beamed as she continuously smiled. She got on stage and announced that she would be singing and doing tap. Howard Stern mentioned that if she won, she would get a million dollars. She said if that happened, she would not want it, but would give it to other people because there are people out there who don’t have any clothes. She did her routine and it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. My mom commented that she reminded her of Shirley Temple. Then Howard Stern said the same thing and evidently Heavenly had seen Shirley Temple movies as well. Howard asked Heavenly if perhaps Shirley Temple was living inside of her somewhere. Heavenly’s response was, “Not Shirley Temple, but Jesus!” She was in fact a Heavenly Joy. Here is the link to the video.

I Found God today in Heavenly Joy.

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Praying in Hobby Lobby

Posted by eph21920 on June 30, 2015 in Faith, Opportunity, Poor, Prayer, Problem, Stranger

This morning I received a daily inspiration in my email and read it to my dad.

As Christians the poor should have a place in our lives. Reflect on these words from St. Augustine, “Give to the poor, I’m begging you, I’m warning you, I’m commanding you, I’m ordering you.”

I thought about what it means to be “poor” and how that can look very different from the typical person standing on the street corner. I also thought about what opportunities I have to actually allow the “poor” to have a place in my life. It was easy when I was in ministry, but not so much now. In the afternoon I ran errands and did some shopping. It was hot, so I grabbed a cold water bottle on my way out the door. As I was travelling from one store to the next, I came across the person standing on the street corner. His sign said “Smile” on one side and “This is uncomfortable for me too.” on the other. I felt God’s tug on my heart and knew I should give him my nice cold water bottle. But as I approached, the light turned green. I didn’t want to stop for those 5 seconds and hold up traffic, so I drove by feeling terrible, knowing that I had just done the opposite of what I should have. My next stop was Hobby Lobby where I scoured the aisles. I ended up in the back corner poking through the clearance items. I was pushing my cart and almost hit a woman I did not see as she was sitting on an empty bottom shelf. She was obviously not shopping and looked pretty sad. I walked by and went around the corner. I felt God’s tug on my heart again and knew I should ask her if she was alright. I argued with the thought as I went up the next aisle but decided I was not going to be disobedient a second time. I went back, stopped at her feet and asked if she was alright. She said, “I don’t know” and started to cry. I started to pray – God, please let me know what I am supposed to do here and what I should say. I asked if she needed help. She told me that she and her husband were always fighting and she did not know what to do. She said she wanted to leave, but they had 2 children. We talked – well, she talked mostly and I listened – for probably half an hour. I asked if she had a church that she went to. She said she did and that she and her husband talked to someone there, but it made no difference. I asked if I could pray for her. She said yes, folded her hands, and bowed her head. I placed my hand on her shoulder and we prayed together. I suppose there were people around, but if felt very much like her, me, and God. When we finished, I encouraged her to go back to the church and find someone who would be able to talk to her alone to help her through this time. We parted ways, and as I went down another aisle, I looked back, but she was gone. As I finished my errands and headed home, I prayed for her – as I will continue to do – that I did some good in our encounter, and that she gets the help she needs.

I Found God today in listening to His promptings, meeting a stranger in need, and entering into her suffering; and I pray that God will take care of her and her family.

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The Heart of the Matter

Posted by eph21920 on June 29, 2015 in Connected, Eternity, Faith, Family, Hope, Jesus, Relationship

Today I took my mom to her appointment to have an echocardiogram – basically an ultrasound of her heart. As she laid on her side, the technician moved the wand type device over her heart and the image came up on the monitor. I thought it was amazing. I could see the valves of her heart open and close with each heartbeat. At times, the technician added color and I could see the blood flow in and out. The heart looked like it was really working as it pumped regularly. It was really moving. I thought about how this lifeline in our bodies carries out it’s job without us doing anything – unless of course there is intervention due to a failure. For the most part we don’t pay any attention to what is going on in there – we don’t even feel the tremendous power that surges life through our bodies every second of every day. And yet, we rely on it to keep us alive – we almost take it for granted. But if something goes wrong, we are all over it. We know something isn’t working properly – there is discomfort, pain, or other symptoms. We take immediate action and get ourselves to the doctor – to the one we hope can do something to fix it. And so it is with God. He is present with us, around us, in us at all times. He is the One that gave us life and keeps us going. He loves us, nurtures us, cares for us. We cannot see Him and how many times do we ignore Him. We expect life to go along just fine. But when things go wrong, then what do we do? There is a variety of reactions, but to me it makes sense to go immediately to the Healer. In the Bible we read that Jesus Christ healed many people of physical, mental, and spiritual ailments. He even raised people from the dead. But He took it one step further. By suffering and dying on the cross, He took all of our ailments upon Himself. And by rising from death, He promised that we will do the same if we trust in Him. And there is more – we actually can feel His presence in and around us if only we pay attention, spend time with Him, and pray. We don’t need to wait until something goes wrong and then hope that He is still there and will hear us. We can enjoy a wonderful relationship with Him right now. We can go right to the heart of the matter.

I Found God today in the amazing workings of our heart and God’s Heart for us.

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The Motorcycle Rally

Posted by eph21920 on June 28, 2015 in Faith, Humility, Jesus

My brother-in-law has a Harley Davidson motorcycle that he loves to take out when he can. Today there was a motorcycle rally in the city where I live. My sister is really a fair weather rider at this point, so she drove her car to the house last night and we hung out as she spent the night. My brother-in-law made the hour drive this morning. He visited for a bit, then headed downtown to the rally. My sister and I met him there a little later. Now, I have never been to a motorcycle rally before and had a bit of a pre-conceived notion of what I might encounter – big, scary, tattooed men looking for a fight and thin scantily clad, tattooed women. I know – very judgmental of me right off the bat. The street was closed with vendors lining the sides. When a group of riders would enter, they were able to ride down the street and out, so it was a continuous parade. While there were some big tattooed men and thin tattooed women, there was a huge variety of people and just as many different motorcycles. I loved watching them all drive by. We walked the street and checked out the tents. There were plenty of vendors selling leathers, jewelry, and patches. There were also several motorcycle clubs represented. Among them were groups that helped abused women and children, raised money to battle cancer, supported Veterans, and a Christian Motorcycle Church. My favorite was a club called Soldiers For Jesus. They handed out little stickers that said, “got Jesus? it’s Hell without Him!” I looked at their website when I got home and enjoyed reading about the group and how they really go against the pre-conceived notions that I myself had about what a motorcycle group might be. I love it when God points out to me that I can be so wrong in my judgmental thinking. It keeps me humble.

I Found God today in the uplifting groups of supportive people at a motorcycle rally.

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Quinceañera

Posted by eph21920 on June 27, 2015 in Birthday, Faith

My sister, mom, and I went to Mass this afternoon. We made it in just after the procession. During the celebration, we noticed several young people in the front few pews dressed in ball gowns and tuxedos. The priest said the young woman dressed in white and blue ruffles with a crown was celebrating her “quinceanera”. This is a traditional celebration of life and gratitude to God on the occasion of the fifteenth birthday of a young Hispanic woman. The ritual emphasizes her passage from childhood to adulthood. The priest said some of the prayers in Spanish, which I thought was pretty impressive. At the end of Mass, the 15 year old made her way to the microphone at the front of the church where she renewed her Baptismal promises and consecrated herself to God and to Mary. Then she placed a bouquet of flowers at the feet of the statue of Mary. I thought it was awesome that a family made faith such an important part of this moment in their daughter’s life. And to see all the teens there dressed up and supporting her was beautiful. I also appreciate the diversity I have seen in different celebrations at this parish. The priest makes a point to be as inclusive as he can.

I Found God today in witnessing a faith-filled quinceañera celebration.

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New Little Clothes

Posted by eph21920 on June 26, 2015 in Baby, Faith, Family, Struggles

My daughter-in-law is going through a very difficult pregnancy. She did so with the 2 boys, but this time it seems to have ramped up a bit. Perhaps it is because she is carrying a little girl. She is now diabetic so has had to change her diet and prick her fingers several times a day to check her blood sugar. She also now has to have a non-stress test done twice a week. I am glad she only has a few weeks left to go! Of course I worry about her and pray for her often. I was doing so this morning as I was out for my morning walk. I came across a couple of houses just putting things out for their garage sale. It looked like there were some decent items, so I went back home, got my money, and went back. I found some practically new baby clothes that I scooped up and brought home all the while praying for my daughter-in-law and new granddaughter. I washed up the new clothes and my parents and I ooohed and aaaahed over them. I am so excited to give them to her.

I Found God today in being more at peace with my daughter-in-law’s struggles after finding cute little clothes and spending time in prayer.

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Potting Plants

Posted by eph21920 on June 25, 2015 in Begin, Creation, New, Weather

I used to enjoy playing in my garden – gardens actually. I had several spots around my house that would require tending. There was a vegetable garden, a couple of flower beds, flower boxes at the base of the windows, and hanging baskets of flowers besides. I don’t really have a green thumb, but love getting out in the dirt and seeing what I can make grow. Now living in a condo community, there is a small area next to the house that has tons of irises, a large rose bush (and 2 small ones), and many bushes. There is no place for a vegetable garden and restrictions on what you can plant, how, and where. When I found out that it is alright to set out some potted plants and flowers, I got pretty excited though I have never done that before. While my dad was looking through a catalog of video courses, he found one that specifically taught about planting in containers. He bought it  and my mom and I have been watching it. Today we headed to the garden shop and picked out some plants, keeping in mind all we had learned. When we got home, I filled up 2 pots of flowers, basil, and spikes and put them at the base of the steps to welcome people. I watered them like crazy and they looked pretty happy. A few hours later I heard some loud noises outside. I looked out the window and to my horror saw quarter size hail plummeting from the sky. I ran out and moved the pots under cover. That was a close one! And so it begins. I am happy to have some flowers to care for and excited to see how they grow.

I Found God today in the joy of being involved in nature.

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New Book Fan

Posted by eph21920 on June 24, 2015 in Connected, Family, Past, Teacher

My dad was in the Air Force for many years as a meteorologist and space environment scientist. When he retired from the service, he started teaching college which was what he always wanted to do. He wanted to teach a course about space, but found there was no good college text book on the subject. So he wrote one – several editions actually. Today he decided he wanted to get out and about, so we dropped my mom at her hair cut appointment and ran some errands. When we returned to the salon, my dad went in to retrieve my mom. He had not been in there for months, as I was now taking my mother and was happy to visit. The hairdresser, who has been doing my mom’s hair now for 40 years, was glad that my father came in. She wanted to introduce him to the woman who was her next appointment. The woman was the widow of the general who headed NORAD just after my dad left. My dad had heard his name in many of the places he worked, but did not remember ever meeting him. Evidently the widow searched for my dad’s book and finally ended up ordering it from the local book store. She was excited to meet my dad and said that next time she will bring the book with her so he can sign it. My dad said he was happy to receive a little ego boost.

I Found God today in the perfect alignment of circumstances that uplifted my dad.

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