My sister has been house sitting for a friend of hers. She came back home here last night and worked today on her computer. I was busy getting more photos ready for the upcoming craft fair. I would get one packaged up and go show it to her. She is very discerning and has a good eye for art, so I very much appreciated her input. More than that, though, I really enjoyed having her company.
I Found God today being with my sister.
I spent the day with my daughter in law, granddaughter, and younger grandson today. My 2 sons went to the football game with their dad who came from out of town to celebrate their birthdays. The older grandson went too. They shared some pictures of their tailgate setup and food. When they got home, they showed us the souvenirs they got and talked all about the winning game. I was glad they all had such a good time.
I Found God today in my sons’ joy.
I went to church this evening for a change. It was much quieter than Sunday mornings when many families and children attend. The Gospel reading was about a blind man who wanted to be healed. He followed Jesus, yelling the whole while until he was noticed. He knew who Jesus was and he knew what He could do. The priest made a connection between this story and a child who goes to Mass with his family usually on Sunday mornings. I knew exactly who he was referring to. The child is non-verbal and autistic. He makes loud sounds during the celebration. Many times the people around him will squirm uncomfortabley in their seats. The priest compared the boy to the blind man. When the blind man continued to call out for Jesus, people were annoyed and told him to be quiet. But that didn’t stop him. He yelled all the more until Jesus brought Him to Himself. Now, we don’t know exactly what is going on in the child’s mind, but sushing him is not really an option. The priest noticed that during the consecration, the child gets particularly quiet. He definitely has his own unique relationship with God. I go to that particular Mass often, so his popping and howling sounds are not unexpected any more. I have noticed, though, that he seems to be reacting more to the music. He will almost copy the melody. That is exciting for me to hear. I feel he is connecting on a different level. And I know how much music can have an impact on a person’s life. I thought the priest made an interesting correlation with the Gospel today, and appreciated the reflection.
I Found God today thinking about the impact church may have on a boy with autism.
We have hundreds of printed photos that my dad took. Some are framed, some are matted, and some are just loose prints. We have given many away and everyone in the family took what they wanted. We have been wondering what to do with the rest of them. A couple of months ago, I learned about a craft fair that is going to be hosted by the association where our cabin is located. I decided to get a table there and see if other people may enjoy the pictures as much as we do. My brother and I sorted through photos, frames, and supplies. I ordered some materials to prepare the photos to sell. Today I started on the project. I had watched my dad work on matting and framing his pieces many times. I also watched some videos, so figured I was ready to begin. I said a little prayer and asked my dad to guide me. The first piece I decided to do was a black and white photo of an old log cabin. I gathered all the supplies and put on the white cloth gloves to keep the picture as clean as possible. It took me a long time to get it perfectly positioned in the rustic looking frame that I bought and I learned a lot. The others that I put together after that were much easier and quicker. I felt my dad was with me as I worked through every detail and realized how much I learned from him. I believe he would be happy with the finished products. I sure was.
I Found God today working on my dad’s photos and feeling close to him.
When I took my granddaughter to school this morning, we were a little early, so we waited in the car for a few minutes. As we did, we looked around for interesting things. We saw some airplanes in the sky and talked about contrails. Then we saw some birds and talked about the different kinds. It wasn’t a deep, powerful conversation. It was simple and ordinary. And in that moment, I felt very grateful to be spending it with my granddaughter.
I Found God today in a simple, ordinary conversation with my granddaughter.
My daughter in law has been getting very bored as she continues to recover from her ankle surgery. She is still non-weight bearing and has her foot elevated the majority of the day. Yesterday we looked through a list of things to do and one of the suggestions was to make a photo album. My daughter in law remembered that she had a lot of loose photos in packages that she acquired after her mother died. Today I brought over some photo pages and found the packages of photos. The one we started with included pictures of her when she was a baby up to a teenager. She sorted the photos and shared her memories while I put them in the pages. I felt so blessed to spend the time with her as she shared her childhood stories.
I Found God today being with my daughter in law and hearing her life stories.
A friend of mine has been crocheting super cute hats and things and selling them at craft fairs. Recently, a store was interested in the hats, so she gave them some to sell. Not surprisingly, they have been selling very quickly and the store is ready for more. She texted me today to let me know the good news. She was so excited and so grateful. I was happy to hear that as she works so hard. Mostly, I was happy she told me so I could celebrate with her.
I Found God today in a friend’s success.
Today was my oldest son’s birthday. Per his request I made chicken enchiladas and a fruit pizza which I haven’t made in a very long time. I spent the afternoon at his house helping to make sure my daughter in law was doing ok. She gets a little better every day since the ankle surgery 12 days ago. She’s tired of being laid up, which is good in a way as she gets moving around a little more. My granddaughter helped put all the fruit on the giant sugar cookie topped with cream cheese frosting. It was a feast for the eyes and the taste buds. My younger son whose birthday is in 3 days and his fiancee made a surprise visit to celebrate. My granddaughter sang us a couple of songs and demonstrated what she has been learning in her singing lessons. She has a truly amazing voice and sense of music. We had a nice little party. On my way home the song, “Counting My Blessings” came on. I sang along loudly, telling God how grateful I was.
I Found God today celebrating my sons’ birthdays.
I have had a song going through my head all day today. It was “Counting My Blessings” by Seph Schlueter. As it ran through my head, I did in fact reflect on all the blessings God has given me – family, friends, faith, home, food. Then I started looking closer and being even more grateful. My children live so close and I get to see them a lot. I have a wonderful relationship with all my siblings. I have many friends that I have met in very different ways. I could go through relationships and specific blessings in each one. That in itself would take forever. And that is the point of the song. If I truly ponder the blessings in my life, I would run out of numbers and out of time. I felt grateful and humbled. Here are some of the lyrics:
“God, I’m still counting my blessings
For all that You’ve done in my life
The more that I look in the details
The more of Your goodness I find
Father on this side of heaven
I know that I’ll run out of time
But I will keep counting my blessings
Knowing I can’t count that high”
I Found God today reminded of the constant blessings He gives me.
A few weeks ago, my son’s fiancee invited me to tea with her and her mom. We went today. It was in a “castle” that belonged to one of the city’s founders. The property was 700 acres set back into the foothills with beautiful scenery. It had been acquired some years ago by a Christian organization. They host retreats, overnight guests, and teas as well as many other events. It was a very fancy setting in the dining room with fine china and antique artwork. We each chose a different tea from the dozens that were offered. Then we were served soup, salad, miniature sandwiches and pastries. Everything was unique and delicious. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know my son’s fiancee’s mother. I had met her a couple of times, and had chatted just briefly. We talked about kids, travelling in the military life, holidays, and our Christian faith. It was a very easy and comfortable conversation. I thought about how blessed my son was to meet this young woman and to have the support of this family. I was blessed to spend this time with two lovely women.
I Found God today spending time with my son’s fiancee and her mom.
Still Finding God 