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Surprise Visit

Posted by eph21920 on June 10, 2023 in Family, Food, Generosity, Happiness

This afternoon I texted my son’s to see if they were doing anything and perhaps wanted to get together. The older one responded that his wife was getting ready to make lasagna. The younger one said he and his girlfriend were going to run errands. A few minutes later, my younger son and his girlfriend were at my house. She had made some banana bread and they brought some over to share. We were one of the errands. It was a fun and delicious surprise.

I Found God today in a surprise visit from my son and his girlfriend.

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Say Only Good

Posted by eph21920 on June 9, 2023 in Bible, Faith, Forgiveness, Life, Relationship

This morning I read a scripture that stayed with me all day. It is beautiful, but challenging as well:

Ephesians 4:29-32 Never let evil talk pass your lips; say only the good things men need to hear, things that will really help them. Do nothing that will sadden the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, all passion and anger, harsh words, slander, and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ.

I Found God today in His encouraging words.

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Growing Granddaughter

Posted by eph21920 on June 8, 2023 in Children, Family, Fun, Happiness, Life, Love

The other day I made plans to take my daughter in law and granddaughter to the park. I was happy that my mom felt up to coming too. The weather was perfect – not too hot or too cool and the wind was not blowing. We started at the playground. My granddaughter is very cautious. I remembered that when we took her last year, she was very nervous about exploring the different structures. This time, she was still very careful, but was also more brave. I could see her trying to figure out how to climb on things and get from one area to another. She was stretching herself and pushing her boundaries all on her own. The park also had a water area with more things to climb on. There were fun animals that shot water out and could be spun around. Fountains of water came up from the ground all around. My granddaughter loves water and it didn’t take long before we ended up there. We watched her figuring out how to manipulate the water spouts while just having fun and making friends. It was a joy and blessing to see how she is growing and learning.

I Found God today seeing the growth in my granddaughter.

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Death, Where is Your Sting

Posted by eph21920 on June 7, 2023 in Answer, Death, Faith, Grateful, Grief, Hope, Life, Love

Yesterday I attended a memorial service for a friend’s mother. She and her husband lost 3 of their parents in about a year and a half. I thought about them the rest of the evening and dreamed about loved ones who have died. I woke up this morning feeling might low. I felt that it doesn’t really matter what I do or how I do it, we are all going to die in the end anyways. I didn’t want to entertain those thoughts or follow them any further, so I put on an app and prayed the rosary. During the prayer, the scripture 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 came up:

“And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about: Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

This has been one of my favorite scriptures for a long time. I remembered that the pastor read these words at the memorial service yesterday. I was immediately grateful for God’s words and His timing as I pondered them further. Yes, we will all die, but this world is not all there is. In this life we have the ability to love those around us and help each other through. We have the opportunity to get to know our God who created us and loves us. We have capability of working our way towards Heaven and helping others to do so as well so we can be all together again. Our life here is short, but eternity awaits us on the other side. When I looked up the above scripture, I read the verses that followed:

“. . . thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Your labor is not in vain.

I Found God today reminded that death is not the end.

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Reciprocating Prayers

Posted by eph21920 on June 6, 2023 in Connected, Faith, Friends, Life, Prayer, Struggles

A friend contacted me this morning asking for prayers for her husband who is in the hospital. As I read through the previous texts, I realized many of them were regarding prayers – asking for them and promising them. I feel that praying for people is the best way we can express our love for one another and stay connected to them, especially when we are far apart. Many times, when I pray for people, I envision God holding them close. I think about God caring for them and their current struggles. I remember how much God loves them. I know have been comforted by friends’ prayers when I needed them most, and I hope my friend is comforted now in mine.

I Found God today in reciprocating prayers.

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Dad’s Photos

Posted by eph21920 on June 5, 2023 in Connected, Family, Life

My mom and I have been slowing going through some of my dad’s snapshots. I call them that, because his best photos are enlarged and many of them are matted and/or framed. What we are looking at are envelopes of prints. I am grateful that they are mostly categorized. My dad was a very organized person. And he kept everything. As we are going through them, my mom is choosing those that are meaningful to her in some way. They may have people in them, good memories, or are just interesting or different. As I have admired my dad’s beautiful photography on the walls and in assorted displays, he would tell me that he took hundreds of pictures to get that one good one. I can see and appreciate that now more than ever. More and more when I look at my dad’s pictures, I feel like I am seeing the world through his eyes. There are themes as to what interested him and how he composed his pictures. Even now, I continue to learn from and about my dad.

I Found God today connecting with my dad.

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Children’s Interaction

Posted by eph21920 on June 4, 2023 in Children, Connected, Happiness

I went to Mass this morning to a church I don’t normally attend. Evidently I sat in the family section. Or perhaps it was just a representation of the parish. In any case, I scooted by a woman with 4 children to get into the pew. In a few moments, a man with 3 children came in beside me. Behind me was a woman with a pretty young baby, judging from the sound of it’s cries. She had a couple other adults with her. In front of me was a family with 7 kids. After a few minutes, another family with 4 children sat in the row in front of them. The more I noticed these large families, the more I saw. I enjoyed watching the interaction between the siblings and parents and those around them. The little girl next to me had a Barbie. She played quietly with the doll through the whole Mass, unless she was responding to some of the prayers, or laughing along when people were laughing. The little boy in front of me had a stuffed bird. As he meandered back and forth on the pew, he spotted the little girl with the Barbie. They waved to one another and the doll gave the boy a high five. She would wave the doll around and he would smile. However, his parents didn’t think this was appropriate and they kept dragging him in front of them. When he could squirm away, he went right back to the little girl. Yes, I did pay attention to the Mass celebrating the Feast of the Holy Trinity today. And I enjoyed watching the families.

I Found God today in the interaction of children.

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Girl’s Day

Posted by eph21920 on June 3, 2023 in Family, Home, Life, Relationship

Today my sister came over, so it was girls day at the house with my mom and her 3 daughters. I did take advantage of the situation and snuck out for a massage, which was amazing. Other than that, we didn’t really do anything special, just visited and did some cleaning and worked on a puzzle. It was different, quiet, and relaxing.

I Found God today in the blessing of a girl’s day.

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Outside News

Posted by eph21920 on June 2, 2023 in Creation, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Home, Life, Struggles

This morning my mom and I got outside while the sun was warm and the air was cool. I got her all set up on the porch with a book and her water bottle while I worked in the garden area. The HOA has been working on fire mitigation and removed our 3 bushes that were deemed hazardous. That left a pretty big blank spot. So, I raked the mulch and evened it all out. Then I sprinkled some flower seeds and watered them in. We’ll see what comes up. While we were outside, several neighbors came by for various reasons. I chatted with each one and got the news on the recent happenings. Our next door neighbor came and visited with mom too. She told us about a book that a friend gave her called “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust”. It was written by Immaculée Ilibagiza who is an author and motivational speaker. I had listened to some of her meditations during Lent. Our neighbor said that her friend’s church was working on getting Immaculee to do a presentation. I asked her to keep me informed as I would also like to go. Mom and I had a blessed morning outside enjoying the air, the earth, and the people.

I Found God today enjoying being outside and visiting with neighbors.

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Thunderbirds

Posted by eph21920 on June 1, 2023 in Connected, Family, Fun, Happiness, Joy

It was an exciting day around the city as the Air Force Academy graduation was today. President Biden was in town to address the graduates. And the Air Force Thunderbirds took to the sky. I had errands to run today, but saw them in formation a couple of times. There were a lot of people gathered in open areas to watch the show. My mom was home with our friend today and they were able to watch some of the Livestream of the ceremony, then later the Thunderbird show as well. My son and his family found a good spot to watch early in the day. My grandson stopped by this evening and showed us the videos he took. They were great. I remembered how much I loved watching the jets and feeling that rumble when they come directly over you. Since my dad was in the Air Force, we had many opportunities to see different air shows. It has been an enjoyment that has been handed down and it was fun to share the enthusiasm with my grandson.

I Found God today sharing joy with my grandson.

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