Leave a comment

Pentecost Blessings

Posted by eph21920 on June 8, 2025 in Connected, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Life, Past, Relationship, Youth

I was so blessed this Pentecost Sunday. I went to Mass at my old parish and realized how much I missed the priest. I loved his message in the homily and his beautiful singing voice. The church had been renovated and was just beautiful. I decided to grab my camera and go back for the next Mass to see if I could get some photos from the choir loft. It just so happened that I knew the young man playing the organ from youth ministry days, so I asked him about it. He said it would be fine. When I went back and up to choir loft, I realized I knew the 3 women singing. It was like the old days with a new young keyboard player. It was a blessing to sit with them, hear the music up close, and see the view from up there. I visited with several people after Mass, then headed to a friend’s house. Some of the old youth ministry people joined and we talked and laughed. We reminisced about events we did, about great times, sad times, struggles, and God Sightings. We shared photos and stories of how our “kids” are doing now and agreed that our days were the best days. I felt incredibly blessed to be in a place and with friends that mean so much to me.

I Found God in a meaningful place with great friendships.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Body and Soul

Posted by eph21920 on June 7, 2025 in Answer, Connected, Creation, Death, Eternity, Faith, Life

I was talking with a friend tonight about growing older. My friend said he can’t believe he is only a few years away from turning 70. I remembered my mom saying that, while she felt her body failing, she was still surprised to look in the mirror and see such an old woman. She said that she still felt the same on the inside – like who she was when she was in her 30s or so. That really helped me to understand the concept of the soul and the body. I feel that our soul is really the essence of who we are, who God created us to be. And our body is what houses our soul at this particular time – in life. When we die, our body is finished, but our soul is released to move on to the next phase – the afterlife. So, while I spend much time and effort taking care of my body – which is good and necessary – I should also be spending much time caring for my soul because it will continue on. And the result of that care will be made very clear at the end. It all seems very simple, and yet very complex.

I Found God today contemplating the body and soul.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Another Beach Day

Posted by eph21920 on June 6, 2025 in Creation, Family, Fun, Grateful, Opportunity, Weather

Yesterday my grandson said he wanted to see the lighthouse at sunrise. So, we set the alarm for 4:30 am and headed out. It was overcast and drizzling, but that didn’t put a damper on our enthusiasm. We stayed in the car for a bit waiting and watching. We took a few photos and then saw the sun peeking over the water. It was bright pink, I guess due to the clouds and haze. My grandson took some pictures with his phone, then played with my camera. We were very happy with the experience. We were able to get in some more beach time and another helping of lobster before we headed back. I was happy we beat the stormy weather in the evening. I told my grandson that God has been so good to us so far in the timing and weather. So far our plans have worked out really well and I am so grateful for that.

I Found God today in beautiful scenery and cooperative weather.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Beach Time

Posted by eph21920 on June 5, 2025 in Creation, Family, Food, Grateful, Happiness, Joy, Life, Travel

It was a hot day on the east coast. Seemed like a good day to head to the beach. Most of my grandson’s friends are finishing their last week of school, so I picked him up and we headed to Maine. My daughter in law’s family made an annual trip there for many years. My grandson wanted to stay in that same hotel, so I got it set up. We had lobster for lunch, walked the beach, had ice cream for dinner, sat in the hot tub, and played giant chess. It was the epitome of a day on vacation at the beach. I felt so grateful and blessed.

I Found God today enjoying the beach.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Adult Adoption

Posted by eph21920 on June 4, 2025 in Connected, Family, Friends, Happiness, Healing, Relationship, Struggles

I visited with a friend today who shared a heartwarming story with me. Many years ago, she began caring for her nephew as his parents were no longer capable of doing so. She loved him and raised him as her own. As he grew into young men, he married and started a family of his own, though they always remained in contact. He struggled with various issues and wanting to better himself and his family life, he went to counselling. After a little while, his wife shared with my friend that much of his inner conflict was that he wondered what was wrong with him that no one wanted to be his parent. My friend never realized this deep pain that he had. So, on his birthday she presented him with adult adoption papers and asked if he would like her to be his mother. He broke down in tears and gladly accepted the offer. I remembered seeing a photo of him beaming with joy. From then on, everything started to improve. I thought it was so wonderful that the now grown adult man had the courage and perseverance to seek help to improve his state of mind and the quality of his family life. At the same time, it was so loving of my friend to follow through on her nephew’s deepest desire to help heal his heart.

I Found God today in a loving friend.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Arrived

Posted by eph21920 on June 3, 2025 in Car, Family, Grateful, Opportunity, Travel

This evening my grandson and I arrived at our destination. I dropped him off at his friend’s house and told him I would miss him. We’ve been together for 8 days driving across this beautiful country. I felt so blessed to have this time with him so far. Now he will spend some time visiting with his friends and go to their high school graduation. After I told him goodbye, I headed up to my old stomping grounds where I met up with the priest I used to work for. Of course, a lot has changed since I was last at the parish. He gave me a tour of the grounds and the church that had all been renovated since the last time I had seen it. The church was stunning and represented all 3 of the churches that came together as 1. I am excited to see some of my old friends and am grateful I have this time and opportunity.

I Found God today arriving safely at our destination.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Toes in Lake Eerie

Posted by eph21920 on June 2, 2025 in Connected, Creation, Family, Relationship

Last night we stayed in a place near Lake Eerie. I don’t remember ever putting my feet in that lake, so I figured it must be done. My grandson and I drove out to a peninsula recommended by the hotel attendant. It was quite an ordeal as you had to pay for parking at the entrance of the little area. There was no choice. So I paid too much for the parking and we had to ask how to get to the beach part as there were hotels, camping, and amusement parks everywhere. We figured it out and walked the beach up and down. I got my feet wet and called it good. My grandson was such a good sport. We have come to work in a pretty good understanding of one another. He chooses some things, and I choose some things. As we walked, we had some good conversations. I have just loved getting to know him better. He asked if it was worth all the trouble and expense to get my feet wet in Lake Eerie. I said yes.

I Found God today enjoying the water and talking with my grandson.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Beautiful Church

Posted by eph21920 on June 1, 2025 in Eucharist, Faith

This morning I found a church in the small town that we stayed in last night. It was so beautiful and ornate. There were murals painted on the ceilings and behind the side altars. The colors were all so vibrant. Up in the choir loft was a stunning pipe organ. For Communion, everyone approached the Communion rails and took turns kneeling to receive the Sacrament. And before Mass there was Eucharist Adoration. Finding such a lovely old church was a wonderful surprise.

I Found God today in a beautiful church.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Near Miss

Posted by eph21920 on June 1, 2025 in Car, Travel

Yesterday as we were driving on a busy 5 lane highway, suddenly there was a big cloud of white powder or something that blocked the view of the car in front of me. I couldn’t tell what happened, but that car quickly moved all the way over to the left and disappeared. I hit the brakes as did all the cars around me. As I tried to watched all the cars around me, I slowly went through the cloud of debris. Then I saw a canister of some kind in one of the lanes to the right and a trash truck that had pulled over. Evidently something fell out of the truck and exploded it’s contents onto the road. When I was clear of the danger, and kept going, my heart was pounding. It was pretty scary. I thanked God for keeping us safe and those around us. It could have been such a catastrophe.

I Found God today in safety.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Pivoting

Posted by eph21920 on May 31, 2025 in Car, Family, Grateful, Travel

This morning my grandson and I got up early and went to an event that he has been looking forward to. He packed up his camera things and we headed to the venue where the foot race was to be held. When we arrived, his camera’s battery was depleted. He wasn’t worried as he brought his portable battery pack. Unfortunately, it wasn’t charging the camera. We found an outlet and plugged it in there. Still no luck. After exhausting our ideas, we went back to the car. Once it was plugged into a different cord, it started charging. Sadly, by this time, it was too late to cover the event. It was early in the day, so we did a couple side trips from our original plan and stopped at a farmer’s market, flea market, and antique shop. That shop struck a chord with my grandson and he did a video story on it. Things didn’t turn out at all how we had planned. But, lessons were learned and I was grateful that when we pivoted, everything turned out just fine.

I Found God today moving forward from disappointment.

Permalink