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Ever Loving

Posted by eph21920 on July 10, 2025 in Car, Creation, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Life, Love, Mercy, Relationship, Travel

Today I got together with a friend. We hadn’t seen each other in several months and she was eager to hear about my road trip. I started with the highlights of the places we visited such as Mount Rushmore, a renovated opera house in Nebraska, the antique shop in Missouri, Lake Eerie, Maine, and such. I told her how we would get out the atlas and look at it at the end of the day to see where we might go the following day. I shared some of the ways God showed up, such as when my grandson met up with his friend in North Carolina when we just happened to stop at McDonald’s that she lived right next door to, how the weather was always cooperative, and how we were kept safe. I talked about visiting so many amazing people. As I continue thinking about the trip and sharing it with others, I realize more just how much God was present through it all. And I feel undeserving of His unlimited love, care, and mercy. Talking with my friend, she has felt the same way – who am I that God would spend Himself on me. Yet, that is exactly what He does as the loving Father that He is. I am not special, He is. It is hard to comprehend, but I am ever grateful.

I Found God today contemplating His immense love and care.

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T-ball

Posted by eph21920 on July 9, 2025 in Children, Connected, Family, Fun, Happiness, Life, Past, Relationship, Sports

When I went for a walk this afternoon, I heard a lot of people yelling and cheering. As I went around a corner, I saw the reason for all the excitement. There was a T-ball game happening at the small ball park across the street. I stood and watched for a minute as adults were very loudly encouraging the players to run. Others were helping the other team to throw the ball to the right place. Some of the kids seemed to know just what to do. Others were oblivious. I thought it was humorous. I remembered watching my own boys as they learned the ins and outs of the game. Then, I watched my grandsons play while my son coached them. Those were always good, fun, family times.

I Found God today remembering good family moments.

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In the Dreams

Posted by eph21920 on July 8, 2025 in Answer, Birthday, Connected, Death, Eternity, Faith, Friends, Healing

A friend’s mom turned 90 years old while I was away. I was sorry that I missed the big event, and I stopped by today. She had all her birthday cards prominently displayed and told me about the celebration. Her brother died recently, and some of the family had come for a visit. Her nieces brought her a rosary that belonged to her brother. She said everyone was crying – but in a good way. She was moved by the gift and felt very close to him. Then she told me about a dream she had. She and her sister-in-law had gathered a large basket of goodies, thinking they may entice her brother to come back to them. They both were up in the clouds when they heard a voice asking what they were doing. They responded that they brought the basket of treats in hopes that their beloved would come back to them. The voice said he would check. A little bit later, the voice said that he spoke to the man, but he didn’t want to come back as he was very content in his new place. The woman never saw her brother, or the being that she was having a conversation with, but she was convinced that it was an angel. She interpreted the dream as a sign that her brother was happy and took encouragement from that. This isn’t the first time that people in her family have had prophetic dreams. When she was diagnosed with cancer, her granddaughter had a dream that her father came and told her not to worry, that his little girl would be ok. Shortly after that, the cancer disappeared from the scans. It was nothing short of miraculous. The now 90 year old woman said she feels healthier now than she has in a long time and is planning on being around for several more years. I’m sure she will be.

I Found God today in the spirituality and well being of an elderly woman.

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Back To It

Posted by eph21920 on July 7, 2025 in Eucharist, Faith, Friends, Generosity, Grateful, Life, Prayer, Relationship

I have had visitors since I returned from my vacation. My brother left this afternoon, so I was alone once again for the first time in 6 weeks. I ended some of the activities that kept me busy before vacation, such as physical therapy and counselling. But today I picked back up with other commitments that I am continuing. This morning I visited an elderly woman with dementia that I have been bringing Holy Communion to on a weekly basis. We just picked up where we left off, though I’m not sure she really knows who I am, and it doesn’t even matter. I pulled up a picture of the United States and told her about the different places I had visited. She is just a joy to talk and pray with, and her family is so gracious. In the afternoon I met with my prayer group. It was good to see them, visit, and pray with as well. I also shared some of my travel stories. As I got back to the “normalcy” of life, I was happy to reflect again on my trip. I felt so grateful and blessed to have amazing people in my life in 2 completely different locations and situations.

I Found God today in the amazing people He has put in my life.

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Rainy Camping

Posted by eph21920 on July 6, 2025 in Creation, Family, Food, Fun, Life, Past, Weather

Tonight my brother and I were invited to our neighbor’s for dinner. She wanted to have an outside picnic. The weather was questionable, but seemed ok when we sat at the outside tables. It did start sprinkling on the guys, so we had to rearrange a bit. We got to talking about camping in the rain. Our neighbor said how much she disliked camping in general, mostly because it would always rain and she would just be wet and cold. I remembered and told the stories of my camping days. Many years ago we had a big pickup truck and would go camping every weekend that we could. Usually we were joined by family and/or friends. We started in a tent, then had a topper on the bed of the truck and would sleep inside, then had a cab-over camper that was really too big, and finally settled on a pop-up camper that sat in the bed of the truck. We used that for years. It did rain often, which was expected when you do things outside, and there were a couple of occasions that I got wet and cold. But, in general, we enjoyed camping so much that the rainy times didn’t dampen our spirits. Those were wonderful times being outdoors and enjoying friends and family.

I Found God today remembering outdoors camping.

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Healthy Plants

Posted by eph21920 on July 5, 2025 in Answer, Creation, Family, Grateful

This morning one brother and my sister said goodbye and went back to their places. I was grateful for the time we all spent together. Later, I got a call from my son who unexpectedly invited us over for dinner. He has a smoker and was cooking a large amount of pulled pork to share. So, my brother and I went on over and enjoyed the delicious food. While I was away on my recent trip, my son’s fiancee took care of the plants in the house. They were so beautiful when I got back home. And one of the orchids had grown a new flower stem. I thanked her for the TLC she showed to my plants.

I Found God today in plants and family.

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Pink Pearl

Posted by eph21920 on July 4, 2025 in Family, Fun, Grateful, Happiness, Joy

My brothers, sister and I had a wonderful 4th of July. We took turns cooking our specialty meals and making homemade ice cream. When I was on vacation, one of our stops was Lake Eerie. While we were there, I bought a packaged fresh water oyster that was promised to have a pearl inside. I gave it to my sister. We took it outside to open it as per the recommendation of the sales clerk. My sister looked up the directions and managed to pry open the oyster. It did have a rather fowl smell and we were glad we were outside. And she found the beautiful pink pearl that was hiding inside. It was so much fun. We visited and went through some estate items. We played games, laughed, and watched the nearby fireworks. I really enjoyed having most of my siblings together and was grateful for the day.

I Found God today with my siblings.

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Playing the Accordion

Posted by eph21920 on July 3, 2025 in Children, Connected, Family, Joy, Music, Past

Both my brothers, one sister and I got all together tonight. It was a mini reunion. We were only missing our younger sister. The 4 of us went to our favorite German restaurant and ordered our favorite German foods and drinks. It was delicious. At the end of our meal, the accordion player came out donning his lederhosen. He was quite a showman. We remembered how our mom played the accordion and how we tried to. It was a very heavy and burdensome instrument. I remembered my mom telling me which buttons to push while she played the keyboard and pumped the bellows. Those were good memories. She was an amazing musician and she passed her love of music to each of us.

I Found God today remembering my mom’s love of music.

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Gift at Cathedral de Santiago

Posted by eph21920 on July 2, 2025 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Friends, Prayer, Priest

Several weeks ago, a friend of mine who is a priest shared that he was going to be walking the Camino in Spain – The Way of St. James. He said he would bring intentions that were shared with him, so I included one. I had seen photos of when he and his group arrived, but had not really been on social media while I was on vacation. Today I looked him up and saw the details of his trip. It looked like an amazing journey. Then I saw that he actually had the incredible honor and privilege of concelebrating the Holy Mass at the main altar of Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. I was in awe as I looked at the photos of him in the huge, ornate cathedral. I thought about how he was bringing prayer intentions with him and what a blessing for them to be brought to this altar. In his post, he said he was so grateful for the gift of his priesthood. There are likely thousands who are also grateful for his priesthood. I am one of them.

I Found God today seeing a friend’s pilgrimage experience.

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Enjoying Outdoors

Posted by eph21920 on July 1, 2025 in Creation, Family, Joy

The same day I returned from my trip, my brother arrived for a visit. We have been going out and about, enjoying the summer weather and scenery, and having fun. We have gone on a hike, went to the zoo, and went to lunch at our favorite German restaurant. We reminisced about visiting the same places with our mom and dad remembered how much they loved them. It was bittersweet as there was happiness talking about the fun times, but also sadness of the difficult times and in our missing them. At the same time, we have truly appreciated the beautiful outdoors, the animal antics, and the delicious food. It’s been tiring, but in a good way.

I Found God today in His Creation.

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