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Trip Reflection

Posted by eph21920 on June 29, 2025 in Connected, Creation, Faith, Family, Food, Friends, Generosity, Grateful, Joy, Love, Relationship, Travel

I have missed my weekly Zoom meetings with my siblings for several weeks now since I was traveling. So, I was happy to connect with them today. I told them a couple of stories about the trip. I also visited a neighbor and told them a couple of stories too. Talking about the road trip got me to think about the experience and the blessings. We were away for 31 days, went through 22 states and put over 6500 miles on my car. I went to the beach several times, saw beautiful countryside, picked fresh strawberries, went to Mass often, walked downtown, walked in nature, and ate a lot of fresh seafood. I got to know my grandson in a whole different way. Pretty early on the trip we learned how best to communicate with each other and how to be patient with one another. One example is that my grandson was warmer than me. When we arrived in the hotel room, he would crank up the air conditioning and claim the bed next to it. Right before we went to sleep, I would turn the air conditioning down, leave the fan running, and build a fort with the extra pillows as I didn’t like to feel the blowing air. We were both very happy that the air conditioning in the car had a separate control for the driver and passenger. We also learned that we have many things in common such as enjoying chess, farmer’s markets, thrift stores, taking photos, and chatting with new people. My grandson got to see his friends who were still in the area and his aunts and cousin. I visited with more people that I can even count. I didn’t realize how much I missed them and the faith community. God was present and active in every conversation and meeting, regardless of the length of time. The generosity, love and encouragement I felt was at times overwhelming. What started in my head as a road trip to visit some friends turned out to be an amazing experience that I could never have anticipated. I continually thank God for how good He is to me and my grandson.

I Found God today reflecting on the incredibly blessed road trip.

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Picking Out the Suit

Posted by eph21920 on June 28, 2025 in Family, Grateful, Life, Love, Marriage, Shopping

Today I had the amazing privilege to go with my son to pick out a suit for his wedding day. He had tried a couple of stores, but struggled to find something that fit him properly. He picked me up and while we were on our way to the shop, he told me about the place. It was a custom suit designer where the buyer was able to pick out everything – fabric, liners, exact colors, even down to the buttons. I was getting a little worried as I knew nothing of such things. Luckily, one of his friends who is also a groomsman met us there. He has very good fashion sense and I was glad he was present. The young man at the store said he had created over 600 suits. He started by measuring my son in all the ways that are needed, then had him try on a pair of pants and jacket. The salesman made notes about where the clothing needed to be taken in, or let out some. Then we got down to the business of the details. My son and his friend had photos of the suits the groomsmen would be wearing and discussed the color palette. The 2 of them made all the needed decisions. My contribution was to show the difference designs of the suits that were on display and to be supportive. At the end of the session, I feel they created a beautiful suit that is going to look amazing on my son as he marries the love of his life. I felt so blessed that my son invited me to go with him, even though I really wasn’t much help.

I Found God today helping my son prepare for his wedding.

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Home Safe

Posted by eph21920 on June 26, 2025 in Answer, Family, Grateful, Life, Travel

My grandson and I made it home today from our big road trip. It was a long, yet quick 5 day drive back. I dropped my grandson off first. When we pulled into his driveway and turned off the car, we looked at each other and together said, “We did it!” He was so excited to see his family and there were hugs all around. We shared a few stories and he was overjoyed to give his mom the gift he got her. Their dogs seemed to be in disbelief that he was home and their newest puppy had grown so much in a month. After we unloaded all his things, I headed home. Some of the neighbors were outside and welcomed me home. All the plants and flowers outside were so lush and big and beautiful. I felt like I had been gone so long. My grandson and I had an amazing trip on so many levels. I am grateful for so many things – mostly for safety. Now we are both looking forward to sleeping in our own beds tonight.

I Found God today arriving home safe after a wonderful trip.

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Beauty All Around

Posted by eph21920 on June 25, 2025 in Creation, Family, Grateful, Life, Travel

Today my grandson and I made it to the flatlands. We noticed the difference in environment and scenery. Even though it was still hot, it wasn’t as humid, so the air felt different too. As I drove, I thought about the beautiful world we live in. We only went through part of the country and stopped at a few places, but got to see amazing things. We started with Mt. Rushmore and the mountains in that area and saw bison. We dipped our feet into Lake Eerie. We experienced a couple beach days on the ocean and drove through the lush hills of the Southeastern region. Everywhere we went had it’s own kind of beauty and I appreciated it all. And it was only a tiny speck compared to the world. It is truly an amazing world we live in with so much variety. God must really love us to create such a place for us to experience.

I Found God today in His amazing creation.

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Blessed Detours

Posted by eph21920 on June 24, 2025 in Answer, Connected, Creation, Family, Friends, Grateful, Opportunity, Travel

My grandson and I had another beautiful and hot drive today. First we drove around and looked at some places in NC that his family is interested in. In one town, he said a friend of his from NH had moved there. He texted her while we drove randomly. We ended up stopping in a McDonald’s parking lot to get our bearings. It just so happened that his friend lived in the apartments right next to it. She walked over and they visited for a bit. I told my grandson it was just meant to be. Later, we had to detour as part of the highway that we were on was closed. I somehow missed a turn and we ended up on another route completely. It was a beautiful mountain road. We also went through a very cool tunnel. We would never had seen those things had we not been off the original path. I thought about how good God was to us.

I Found God today in blessings in unexpected and unplanned routes.

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People in Cars

Posted by eph21920 on June 23, 2025 in Car, Connected, Hope, Life, Patience

Today was a long, hot drive, but we reached NC, which was the goal. The rolling, green hills provided their own kind of beauty. There was a lot of traffic and cars going in and out trying to make a little headway in front of the many semi trucks. Some were a little less patient than others. At one rest stop, I noticed people chatting to one another quite openly. There were older people driving themselves, some younger, and some on motorcycles. It occurred to me that perhaps if we could really see one another, or at least remember that there are real human beings in each vehicle, perhaps we would be more kind on the road. Perhaps. In any case, I loved seeing the interaction of the strangers. They would wish each other safe travels when they departed.

I Found God today in people caring for one another.

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Back on the Road

Posted by eph21920 on June 22, 2025 in Death, Eternity, Eucharist, Faith, Family, Friends, Generosity, Grateful, Hope, Prayer, Travel

This morning I went to Mass and prayed especially for my mom on the 1-year anniversary of her death. I loved that it was Corpus Christi – the Feast of the Body of Christ. In the homily, we were reminded that we have Hope that we will one day be in the arms of Christ and that our loved ones are too. After Mass, I said some final Goodbyes. My friend the priest gave me a heartfelt blessing for protection. A friend gave me a care package of treats to take on the road and I felt pretty special. I picked up my grandson and he said his goodbyes as well to friends and family. Then we stopped at the cemetery, placed some flowers on the gravesite of his Nana and Papa, and prayed for them all. We made it to our first stop in time to rest. This time we’re headed south to go west. I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with such loving and faithful friends. The time with my grandson continues to be invaluable. I feel so blessed.

I Found God today reflecting on goodbyes.

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Faithful Friends

Posted by eph21920 on June 21, 2025 in Connected, Faith, Friends, Grateful

Today I saw more friends that I had not seen in years. They had been such a big part in my faith life. The introduced me to unique experiences that challenged my beliefs. I think that is something that I find so beautiful and extraordinary about the Catholic religion. There are so many ways to get closer to God, to know Him better. Just as people have different personalities, tendencies, likes, and things that draw their attention, there are multiple avenues in the Catholic Church that appeal to different people. Of course the Mass is what we believe is the epitome of Worship. But after that there are different kinds of prayers, stories of amazing saints, celebrations of many facets of God, and it goes on. I was blessed to visit friends again and to remember their faith that helped me in mine.

I Found God today in very faithful friends.

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The Diner

Posted by eph21920 on June 20, 2025 in Family, Food, Fun, Grateful, Life, Past, Tradition

My grandson has been enjoying going to some of the places he used to visit when he and his family lived here. The other day and again today I took him to an old time diner. I remember on Sundays, whoever went to church with my daughter in law’s mother would get treated to breakfast there. She would take them after Mass. I had the privilege of joining them a couple of times. When we walked in, I remembered sitting in the bench that looked like the rear seat of an old car. And I remembered the booth that we all sat and where I took photos of the kids. My grandson still loved the food – particularly the home fries. When I couldn’t decide what to get today, he suggested the Mickey Mouse pancake that he used to get as a child. I declined. But it was good to be there and talk about the fun and happy memories.

I Found God today in happy memories.

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Dream of Heaven

Posted by eph21920 on June 19, 2025 in Answer, Connected, Death, Eternity, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Grief, Love

A young man that I have known since he was in high school lost his father almost 2 years ago. I wanted to visit his dad’s grave, so the young man tried to explain to me where it was. Then he offered to take me there, which really touched my heart. We got together tonight and talked a bit about his father’s death and how much he misses him. He said that he had a dream that he was with his dad going through some gates. All he felt was peace, joy, happiness, and love. He didn’t want to leave, but he eventually woke up and was crying. I suggested that he had been given an incredible gift to be able to know that his dad was in such a wonderful place. The young man said that he got a little taste of Heaven and that he can imagine what it will be like for eternity. He looks forward to being there and hugging his father. We went out to the cemetery and pondered and prayed. I was grateful  and blessed to spend time with him, listen to him, and pray with him.

I Found God today in a faithful young man.

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