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Home To Recover

Posted by eph21920 on June 5, 2015 in Eucharist, Family, Grateful, Home, Sick

My dad had a very difficult night last night. He had a bad reaction to one of the medications and was seeing and hearing things all night long. He was still pretty distraught when my mom and I got there this morning and his blood pressure was way up. It was a rocky morning for everyone and we really just wanted to get him home. We were grateful when a woman came in and offered Holy Communion. We gladly accepted. It was a moment of peace. Lunchtime came around and we still hadn’t seen the doctor, so my mom and I left to get a bite to eat. Of course that is when the doctor visited my dad. My dad told him the problems with the medication, so he will not be taking that one any more. The doctor said that he felt the blood pressure was under control at this time and it was ok for my dad to go home. Hooray! Evidently my dad also had a conversation with his roommate and apologized for any ruckus that he caused during the night. On the way out, my dad was thanking everyone for all the help they were and for their kindness. When we got home, he fell asleep in seconds – clearly exhausted from the whole ordeal – and slept for hours. He managed to wake up for dinner and as we talked about the past few days, he said that he learned a lot and that it was worth the pain and stress of the hospital stay. I was somewhat surprised by the comment. Today I gained a new insight into my dad.

I Found God today in the incredibly patient nurses, in the ability to receive Communion, in being able to get my dad home to recover, and most of all in the extremely grateful and empathetic actions from my father.

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God Is There Too

Posted by eph21920 on June 4, 2015 in Faith, Family, Prayer

Well, they did many different tests on my dad today and they all came out normal. Like everything, this is good and bad. Good that there is nothing that jumps out as going horribly wrong. Bad that we don’t really have an answer as to what IS going on. They are working on adjusting his medication to get his blood pressure stabilized and decided to keep him one more night. A new problem that we are encountering is that my dad is having some confusion about where he is. We talked with the nurse and she said it is fairly common especially in the elderly. The combination of the illness, lack of sleep, and a new environment is taxing on the body. We are praying that this is a temporary issue and/or leads to a necessary diagnosis. It was difficult to leave him for the night. But just before I went to bed, he called to make sure I took the trash out as they will be picking it up tomorrow. It is his usual Thursday night routine. I assured him I had.  And where did I find God? At one point during the day I took a little break and went for a walk around the park in the beautiful sunlight. On my way back to the room, I passed the hospital chapel. Walked right by til God said, “I am in here too.” So I turned around, went in, saw what appeared to be a tabernacle, and spent a few minutes in silent prayer, relaxing and breathing.

I Found God today in a few minutes of alone time with Him.

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Better and Not

Posted by eph21920 on June 3, 2015 in Faith, Family, Sick

We had made plans to go and stay in the mountain cabin for a few days, but yesterday my mom wasn’t feeling well so we postponed the visit until after she could see the doctor. She has a history of stomach problems and was afraid it was acting up again. Her appointment was bright and early this morning. She was already feeling better by that time, but the doctor gave her a thorough exam and the all clear. We left relieved and looking forward to heading to the mountains. When we got home, my dad said that he wasn’t feeling very well, but thought it would pass. It did not. We had just finished getting ready and were standing in the kitchen going over lists, when my mom asked my dad if he was OK. As I looked up, my dad replied, “No” and I saw him start to sway. Both my mom and I rushed over to him and caught him before he went completely down. We got him to sit in a chair and I watched to make sure he would not fall while my mom called 911. He did actually lose consciousness for a time. The EMT’s arrived quickly and got to work. My dad was in and out of it as my mom and I answered questions and tried to stay out of the way. They took him to the hospital and immediately checked for a stroke, which was ruled out. Several other tests were done that did not come up with any immediate issues. They decided to keep him in the hospital overnight and will do a few more tests tomorrow to see if they can pinpoint the problem. By the time they got him to a room, he was feeling pretty good. My mom and I got home very late and very tired. I pray that we will have more answers tomorrow.

I Found God today in the fact that my mom does not have the problem she thought, and in His perfect timing – again. Had we gone to the cabin and my dad had this episode, we would have been very far from help. And had we gotten in the car a few minutes earlier, he would have passed out in the car.

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Decisions Made

Posted by eph21920 on June 2, 2015 in Answer, Faith, Trust

You know that pile of papers that just builds higher and higher? I just don’t understand why it is so difficult to keep up with. I have been trying to work on mine a little every day. I finally got most of them sorted out and got some filed away. Today I got my medical insurance figured out and got my first appointment all set up. Now I am working on the same for the dentist. It is so hard trying to figure out who to see when in a new place. And you have to start all over again building a trusting relationship. I looked up to see who is taking new patients with my insurance, then looked up reviews online. In one sense there are too many options. In another, there are not enough. In any case, I finally said a prayer, put my medical needs in the hands of Christ, and made the decisions. I was glad to have it completed. And I was glad that I have a loving God that I can trust fully with the tough decisions I have to make.

I Found God today in making some decisions and trusting Him to take care of the rest.

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An Amazing Memory

Posted by eph21920 on June 1, 2015 in Answer, Family, Humor

My mother has an amazing memory that seems to be more and more clear as she continues on an upward swing. We always laugh about how she would probably remember all the details of any event from any number of years ago, but at the same time she can forget why she walked into a room. Today one of her friends called her as she misplaced her jacket. They had gone out to lunch together and with others about a month ago and she was backtracking all the places she went to see if she had left the coat there. She asked my mom what the name of the restaurant was that they visited and if she had the phone number. My mom told her the name of the place and how to spell it, but did not have the phone number. Then she asked if by chance my mom remembered what she was wearing that day. Of course, my mom did in fact remember the details as to what she was wearing. This really helped, as she then decided that she had probably not worn the jacket with that specific outfit. We laughed some more.

I Found God today in the amazing memory that my mom still has and the good laugh that we enjoyed.

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To Know Someone

Posted by eph21920 on May 31, 2015 in Faith, Family, Knowledge, Relationship

This morning my parents and I were talking about sleeping habits. My mother said when she was younger, she used to sleep with the radio on classical music all night long. When she was about to get married, she wondered how that was going to work out. She decided that she wouldn’t be able to have the music on all night, so once married she just stopped. All of this was a surprise to my dad. Evidently she never talked with him about it and he never knew. It is amazing how a person can know another for over 65 years, and still learn something new about them. Also this morning, I woke up with the song, “Sisters” in my head from the movie, “White Christmas”. It was because I was meeting my sisters this afternoon to spend a few hours together. We had a great time and talked about things that only sisters talk about. In the evening, I was watching a sitcom and the comment was made, “You have to get along with your siblings. They are the ones who know your stories.” I thought about how true this is (or can be). Even though my sisters and I have lived far apart for many years, we still know things about each other that no one else does. Then I thought about how much God knows me. He created me and knows me better than I even know myself. This can be intimidating, but it is freeing. I don’t have to hide who I am from God – he already knows all about me. Yes – he knows my faults and failings as well. But, He loves me anyway – right here, right now. Yes, He is always tugging at my heart asking me to be a better person. But this is only because He wants the very best for me, not because He is not happy with who I am right now. That is how much He loves me – – – and how much He loves You.

I Found God today in the blessing of how I can be me with my sisters and in remembering how much God knows me.

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Perfect Timing

Posted by eph21920 on May 30, 2015 in Dog, Grateful, Problem

A couple of days ago as I was out walking, one of the neighbors came out with his cute tiny white poodle. She is not quite a year old and full of enthusiasm. She was very excited to meet me and as soon as I started petting her, she rolled over on her back so I could rub her belly. The neighbor told me that she got away from him twice and started running away. She would not come to him when he called her. But each time she came across someone outside and as soon as they paid attention to her, she ran up to them and rolled on her back to have her belly rubbed. Then her owner was able to just go and pick her up. Today my mom and I went out for a walk. We had almost reached the same neighbor’s house when the garage door opened and out bounded the little white fluffball. She was not on her leash and running around like crazy. Her owner was not far behind with leash in hand. I knew just what to do. I called her and after she got a little energy out, she came to me and rolled over. I kept her occupied enough for the man to come and get her. He was very grateful.

I Found God today in His perfect timing to help a neighbor with his puppy.

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Contagious Joy

Posted by eph21920 on May 29, 2015 in Friends, Joy, Pope

A good friend of mine is a Franciscan priest. He has helped me through difficult times and helped me to make some hard decisions. He has some great adventures and I enjoy following them on Facebook. He shows that being a priest is exciting and joyful. Recently he has been in Rome with several others from the order. While there, he was blessed to meet Pope Francis. Today I saw the pictures he posted of the moment they shook hands. I have never seen such a look of enthusiasm and awe. It was truly a blessed moment for him and the pictures filled me with joy. It did the same for so many others judging by the comments.

I Found God today in the overwhelming joy passed on by a friend who met Pope Francis.

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Reflection, Sorrow, and Grace

Posted by eph21920 on May 28, 2015 in Creation, Death, Dog, Faith, Music

Today I gathered up all of Goldie’s things that I thought could be used by someone else. I brought most of them to the vet that we met at first – St. Francis Animal Hospital. I thought from the beginning that this was a very fitting name. I spoke again to one of the wonderful ladies there – and cried again as she spoke kind and comforting words. They would donate all the items to the “Paw Pantry” who gives pet items to people who are going through a financial crisis and cannot afford them. Then I headed over to the emergency pet hospital where I had met another caring doctor and where Goldie spent her last moments. As soon as I got in the car and trying to fight back the tears, I heard the song, “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns. It is amazing how many times God speaks to me through music. The words pierced my heart, “I was sure by now God You would have reached down And wiped our tears away Stepped in and saved the day But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining As the thunder rolls I barely hear Your whisper through the rain “I’m with you” And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away.” The end of the song wraps up with “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord The Maker of Heaven and Earth.” It helped me to remember how God has always been by my side, helping me through difficulties and bringing me to a better place on the other side. At the emergency vet, I gave them all the leftover medications that Goldie had. They said they would be able to donate them to people who would not be able to afford it. I was blessed to be able to pay for what she needed, but I know that others are not so fortunate and hopefully this will alleviate someone else’s burden. After Goldie had passed, they people there made an ink paw print for me which was put on a card. It was beautiful. The young woman said it could be made into a tattoo and she knew that many people did that. Tempting… When I got home, I shared the card with my parents and we teared up one more time. I don’t want to cry any more. I know it will take time. My sister who rescued greyhounds said it best to me, “It’s so hard to say goodbye. I wish animals lived longer lives so you don’t have to go through it multiple times. But they are so worth it.” I think they are God’s gift to us to help us learn to love, to realize what unconditional love looks like from them, to teach us how to sympathize, and even to be able to accept death as part of life.

I Found God today in another day of reflection, sorrow, and grace all at the same time.

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Three Little Words

Posted by eph21920 on May 27, 2015 in Humor, Joy, Love

Today I was shopping in a store and when I went to check out, there were 3 ladies behind the counter all just giggling away. I put my things on the counter and the woman who was ringing me up asked if I was having a good day and if she could tell me a funny story. I am always up for a funny story. This is how it went. The store employee and an older man have been going back and forth on the phone with some confusion trying to set up a special order. At then end of their last conversation, he blurted out, “I love you”. She could not tell if he meant to say it or if it was a mistake and he hung up fairly quickly afterwards. In any case, she was giddy as she told the story and the other 2 ladies were beaming as well. It is funny how those 3 little words can cause such a reaction.

I Found God today in the joy of 3 women because of the words I love you.

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