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Staying Strong

Posted by eph21920 on August 31, 2024 in Answer, Family, Life, Love, Relationship, Struggles

Today I spent some time with my brother in law. He’s finishing getting things wrapped up here and will be going back to Florida with my sister permanently. It’s been a long road for them since they decided to purchase a house out there. Things did not exactly go as planned. And of course it was completely unexpected for my sister to get so sick several months ago. But through it all, the only thing he has cared about is her health and welfare. We talked about the different decisions and plans they made during their relationship and marriage as they will celebrate their 30 year anniversary in a few days. We talked about the different opportunities that different people are given and how important it is to recognize them. I remembered hearing in a meditation from St. Ignatius that God doesn’t orchestrate our entire lives. He may present us with opportunities and the decisions we make are our own. But we can make those decisions with confidence, trusting that God is in them. He will be there – here – for us no matter what. That is comforting to me. Even though things didn’t go as planned for my sister and her husband, their relationship is still strong and loving. And that is what matters.

I Found God today in my loving brother-in-law.

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Future Letter

Posted by eph21920 on August 30, 2024 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Grief, Healing, Life, Past, Present

Today I was updating and clearing out some things in my computer. I came across a letter that I had written to myself 2 years ago after my father died. It was a letter of encouragement. I don’t remember writing the letter at all, but that isn’t really surprising. I’m sure it was an exercise in one of the grief support groups that I went to. In the letter I told myself that I did the best I could and that I was still making progress in patience, faith, and caring for myself. It was like I could read my future mind. I did appreciate the letter and left it to find again another day. It gave me hope for my current self and my future self.

I Found God today in a future letter of encouragement to myself.

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Pinks, Peace, and Prayer

Posted by eph21920 on August 29, 2024 in Creation, Fun, Grace, Peace, Prayer

A friend came over to the house this evening and we sat outside on the porch to visit. The sky was full of a variety of clouds. Some were low and flat, others were higher or puffy. And there was an occasional piece of blue sky that peeked through. There was no wind and a sporadic sprinkling of rain. It was very peaceful. As the sun set, assorted clouds turned bright pinks, then pastels, then dark. Before my friend left, we prayed together starting by thanking God for the beautiful scene. It was a blessed time.

I Found God today in His beauty and peace.

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Supportive Relationships

Posted by eph21920 on August 28, 2024 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Healing, Life, Love, Relationship, Struggles

Recently there have been some situations that I have really been struggling with. I was blessed today to meet with my counselor, visit with a friend and priest, and pray with my prayer group. I didn’t really intend for that all to be on the same day, but that’s what happened. I guess God knew what I needed. I was able to talk through some things in different ways and felt incredibly supported and loved in each relationship.

I Found God today in loving, supportive relationships.

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Fearless Love and Evangelization

Posted by eph21920 on August 27, 2024 in Answer, Friends, Generosity, Grace, Life, Love, Stranger

When my friend from out of state was here, she told me about an event that happened in our church during Lent this year. I believe it was Good Friday. During the celebration, a young woman who had settled into her space and presumed homeless started being disruptive. Instead of having someone escort her out of the building, she said one of our friends went over to her, sat with her, gave her her own coat, and calmed her down. I touched base with that friend who said she recognized the signs of detoxing and that all she needed was some water and TLC. Then she told me the rest of the story. After the celebration in church, another family from the parish brought the girl into their home. They helped her get sober and taught her about the Catholic faith. They gave her another chance at life. The girl decided to become Catholic and entered into the Church. It was a beautiful story of fearless love and is exactly what being a Christian should look like.

I Found God today in fearless love and evangelization.

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Best at the Time

Posted by eph21920 on August 26, 2024 in Answer, Family, Friends, Grateful, Grief, Past

I still struggle with thoughts that I could have done better for my mom and my dad. Today, a friend sent me a reflection that said in part:

I have acted in the best way I could at a given time, and many times it was more than anyone could reasonably expect. In fact, some of my efforts may have produced wonderful, long-term effects of which I am unaware.

They were beautiful, heart warming words sent by a thoughtful friend and I very much appreciated it.

I Found God today in encouragement by a thoughtful friend.

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Mutual Care

Posted by eph21920 on August 25, 2024 in Baby, Connected, Life, Marriage, Relationship

At church this morning, there was a new mom and dad sitting in front of me with their teeny tiny new baby. I remembered meeting them a couple months ago and she had that very pregnant look about her. So I prayed for them. Today, she had that new mommy look about her as she cuddled and fed the infant. She had one of those snuggly carriers that a person straps to the front of them and rests the baby in so they don’t wear out their arms. At one point, after she was done feeding the baby, the mom was trying to get the floppy infant settled into the carrier and strap it on. The dad saw her struggle, reached around, and helped her get the straps situated. Perhaps it seems like a small gesture. But I have seen situations in which the woman is on her own trying to juggle babies and/or children while the dad is totally hands off. I thought it was especially meaningful as one of the scripture readings was about marriage. It was the one about wives being subordinate to their husbands. Sometimes that’s when people stop reading or listening. The other part of that scripture is that husbands should love their wives as they love themselves. Marriage is a relationship in which each partner cares for the other. So, while the gesture from the dad that I saw may seem slight, it was an example of him taking care of her and it touched my heart.

I Found God today in a dad taking care of his wife and baby.

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Keep Me In Your Heart

Posted by eph21920 on August 24, 2024 in Death, Friends, Grief, Life, Love, Relationship, Struggles

A friend of mine and her family invited a gentleman to live with them 8 years ago. At the time, he was suffering from COPD and living on his own in a small house in a rough part of town. The doctors said he had about 18 months to live. He had no living family members of his own and quickly became part of my friend’s family as he accepted their offer. He suffered on and off during this time and was receiving Hospice care for the past year until he passed away a few weeks ago. Today I went to his celebration of life that the family held in a lovely park with the pond and fountain nearby. They shared a touching presentation that highlighted his life. When he was born, he was immediately released to an orphanage and adopted at 9 months old. As a child, he contracted polio which left him in leg casts. During that time, his parents put him in a wagon so they could take him out and about. He kept that wagon as it was so meaningful to him and it was at the celebration. He learned to play the guitar and was in different bands in his early years. We were treated to a couple videos of him playing and singing. My friend’s 2 year old granddaughter danced and pointed to the video saying, “Papa”! The gentleman married and went into the medical field. During that time, he met a young person who was sick. They talked about the feelings of, Why Me? However, the young person said, Why NOT Me? This changed the man’s perspective and he tried to apply it to his life. He was in a very bad car accident some years into his marriage and it was uncertain if he would ever walk again. Unfortunately, his wife divorced him. He did rehab with a friend and was able to function again. He was a race enthusiast and built or restored his own cars. He turned to alcohol for a while, but got himself sober. His life was one of tragedy and perseverance. He turned away from religion at a young age due to the behavior of some of the people in the church. It makes me so sad when I hear those experiences. Yet, he was a deep thinker and got connected to a Hospice chaplain who was at the celebration. He asked the tough questions and the chaplain met him where he was, discussing whatever was on his mind. The ending song was, “Keep Me In Your Heart” by Warren Zevon. I am sure that God brought the gentleman and my friend’s family together and that the love that was exchanged gave him a longer physical life, and perhaps a more spiritual one as well. I continue to be amazed at the way my friend and her family opened their home and lives to this one person and what an blessing it was not just to them, but to those around them. His life made a difference.

I Found God today in the moving story of one life and the love of a selfless family.

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Shining Family

Posted by eph21920 on August 23, 2024 in Faith, Friends, Hope, Joy, Life

Today I was chatting with a friend and we got on the topic of the craziness going on in the world. He said he knew a family whose son was kicked out of school for making fun of a girl who said she was a cat. I have heard about strange incidents like this, but I wondered how prevalent it really is. Or if people are blowing things out of perspective. But when I heard this from my friend who I trust is truthful, it was shocking and sad. This example really speaks to how lost our society can be. People make up their own identities and can insist that everyone else treat them as such. In fact, our human identity can be found in God who created us and loves us and wants to care for us if only we let Him. We are His children. When people don’t know that fact, or refuse to accept it, we will constantly be in a battle of trying to figure out who we are and how we are supposed to behave. Chaos ensues. On the other hand, my friend’s daughter is raising her daughter and son in the best way that she can. They are home schooled, attend church, and are also involved in many different groups. The updates that she shares about them are joyful, hopeful, upright, and positive. They are a light in this world. I think some of the best things we can do for our society is to pray first and foremost, to be a light of positivity in the world, and to support one another in our collective life journey.

I Found God today in a family shining light into our world.

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Pure Selflessness

Posted by eph21920 on August 22, 2024 in Answer, Children, Connected, Friends, Generosity, Grace, Homeless, Sacrifice, Stranger

A friend of mine shared a beautiful story about her generous and loving daughter. She allowed me to share the story as well:

There is a homeless man that stands on the side of the highway. We pass him all the time and give him food, gift cards, money here and there and sometimes drinks. We also pray for him every night when we say our family bedtime prayers. There is something about this man that just really tugs at our hearts and we love to help him.
This morning we saw him. My daughter said, ”Mommy can we give give him some money?” I said I don’t have any cash on me right now but if we see him later we can bring him something. Well we pull up to the house and she bolt out of the jeep. When I walk inside I hear her struggling to get something from her closet… it was her piggy bank.
She tells me “ Don’t worry Mommy, I’ve got money to give him.” She laid there pulling her silver coins from the pile on the floor. She counted out 15 dollars to give this man in coins. She comes up to me and says “Mommy can you tell me how to spell some words? This is the note she wanted to leave him inside of his bag. I asked her what the picture was that she drew and she said “ Well this man is Jesus and this is the man I’m helping. They are around the fire because I know he gets cold at night but God is there for him.” She said “ This is his future house and I put a “g” on it. Do you know what the “g” means?” I said “Does it stand for God?” She said ”No it stands for Grace, like Heavens Grace.” I couldn’t help but got so teary eyed that my baby knows that God gives us all grace and that God is there for this man in this hard time of his life.
We leave the house and pass him on the way. My daughter asked if she could give it to him. I rolled her window and the look on this man’s face was pure bliss. The biggest smile and watery eyes came over this man. He looked at her and said “ Thank you so much sweetheart, you don’t know what this means to me. God Bless you sweet girl.”
I BROKE DOWN CRYING GUYS!!  I looked back and my daughter said “My eyes are just so watery!” I said “ It’s because you’re so happy to help him!”
I told her how proud of her I was and that she has no idea the impact she had on that man today.
To say I’m so proud is an understatement.

Her story was that of pure love, generosity, and selflessness that is so common in children if we only nurture them and bring them to Jesus as He said. I doubt if the man or the little girl will ever forget that day. My eyes were watery too as I read.

I Found God today in a loving child and a faithful family.

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