The Hand of God was Everywhere

 Last Friday, June 12, 2026, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,  at appoximately 1:15 a.m the sound of pelting rain on our bedroom window woke me up. I realized how hard the rain was coming down and barely had time to utter an abrupt prayer when an enormously LOUD sound scared me half to death. 

I thought it was just a clap of thunder right over the house, and then I saw a tree limb fall right past the bedroom window and hit the patio.  I was out of bed instantly. 

Suddenly, it started raining in Wayne's closet.  We could see nothing because the power was out and so had to find some flashlights to determine what was happening.   The ceiling in the closet was intact, but there was indeed water pouring onto the carpet.  Wayne got a couple of buckets and a towel and we left it since there was nothing else to be done. 

We went to the first floor and looked out into the pitch black backyard with our flashlights.  Wayne made out that the garage looked a little funny and we could see the limb on the patio.  There was no fire and no imminent danger so Wayne crawled into the newly put together guest room bed and crashed hard. 

I, on the other hand, was awake praying Rosaries  and wandering the house for the next two hours. I finally settled enough to sleep and went to bed as well.  

What a sight we were greeted with in the morning!!! 

Crushed gate.

First thing I saw in the morning.

The neighbor's very tall maple tree had crushed our garage and landed a mere foot from our bedroom window onto the roof of the house.  It poked several holes through the deck boards under the shingles and that is where the water came in. 

So, about the Hand of God: 

-We were in the bed and were completely unhurt

-The part of the garage that did not collapse is the side where Wayne's power tools are stored.

-The grill that is visible was only slightly hurt and the propane tank attached (and the others in the garage) did not explode.

- The lights in the garage were not electrified because the power went out (and the breakers worked), so no fire.

-The tree did not break any windows and did not crash down over our bed.

-My Mother's Day begonias were untouched (picture below). 

-My vehicle was in the exact right spot on the driveway that it was not damaged at all, but the front bumper got a little "kiss" from some leaves.

-The tree crew that removed a large maple tree from our yard last year was two blocks away when Wayne called them. They came right over and removed the whole tree that afternoon.

-The rain stopped until the tarp guy came and covered the holes.

-DTE has the power back on before lunch time. 

More photos:

Orange spot, far right, begonias. 

Bedroom windows.

The new crack in the bedroom wall that occurred during the tree removal. 

Tarps on the house roof. 

Our garage today. 

The biggest thing about all of this, is that Wayne was getting mentally prepared to rip off the south wall of the garage and replace it; replace the ladder to the attic and get the floor leveled so it would stop flooding. 

God took care of all of that for us!

The insurance adjuster, the construction company, and the tarp guy will all be here tomorrow. The tarps have to be removed so the adjuster can take photos of the holes. Then they need to be replaced.  By time all is said and done, we will have a nice fat folder of receipts.  Keep checking back for more news on our progress. 

And say a little prayer of thanksgiving for God's loving ways.

Putting God on the Sidelines

 This is another post on part of a homily that our pastor gave on Sunday.  He quoted a line from the movie "The Punisher".   Apparently it is a Marvel movie. I have not seen it.  Without trying to go into details about that which I have no knowledge (I did read that the main character is either characterized as a serial killer or a vigilante) I will quote the lines and go from there.  

As the punisher is about to go off on a last quest for justice? vengeance? another character says to him "Go with God".  He responds, "God's gonna sit this one out."

In our own lives we often let God "sit this one out".  Whether intentional or not, it is when we forget or refuse to pray about decisions that we are making, be they big or small. 

How many times have we heard or said, "I've got this."? Apparently it's a very male thing, although women also want to feel like they can handle things on their own. 

The truth is, we are dependent!  We have no control over our own heart beating regularly enough to keep us alive.  We must eat and drink by design so that we have the energy to do what we have to do. We need enough sleep to keep us energized and healthy. 

The decisions we face every day are no exception.  My dear one likes to ask me what the next day looks like before we go to bed.  Apart from having a specific appointment that I have to keep, I usually tell him, "God hasn't told me yet." I have found that making a step-by-step plan for many things is asking for frustration when things change. 

If I let God have my day, He usually lets me know what Mass to go to and where. The homily is usually exactly what I need to hear if I go where he leads me. 

 He reminds me of things I have to take care of and leads me in the way to make them happen, most of the time, easily. 

He puts people on my heart that need a phone call or some snail mail. 

He calls me to prayer regularly and recently He is showing me how to sit in adoration in silence and wait for Him to speak. (Very hard for me to be silent in my head.)

There is an old bumper sticker that read: "God is my co-pilot."  We don't need God to be our co-pilot. We need him to take the controls while we wait for His instructions for us. 

Fear not to let Him have that control.  Is it hard at first? Absolutely.  Society tells us we have to have it all together and be all to everyone all the time.  Not so. 

God says,  "take my yoke upon you and learn from me." (Matt 11:29).  Jesus did not scurry from town to town with a to-do list.  He spent time in prayer and learned what the Father's plan was for Him. He lived to do God's will. 

We should too! 

Remember, God's got this.  Go with God. 

 

Writing Your Autobiography

 This Lent, I am participating in Magnify 90. We participants actually started January 5 and will conclude at Easter.  I was sort of keeping up with the demands of the program but on Ash Wednesday I decided to jump in completely and give up my secular audiobooks, scrolling on SnapChat, and definitely chocolate!  

I turned instead to my School of Reading book: Jesus our Refuge by Matt Fradd (highly recommend) and the Hallow app's 40 day challenge.  In this challenge, on the first Sunday of Lent, Fr. Mike Schmitz posted his homily for the day.  WOW.  Homily here 

I am going to summarize the homily but I encourage you to listen to the whole thing.  

Fr. Mike talked about writing our autobiography.  Not starting with our birth and going through a timeline, but rather by making a decision about how our lives will look starting today. Because is it Lent, we are called to three things in particular: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. 

Each Lent is a time for personal renewal and growth in our relationship with God. Giving up "stuff" just to give up "stuff" isn't enough.  We need to lean into these self-imposed crosses as a way to find more time for prayer, to eliminate the false refuges in our life that lead to overindulgence, sloth, vanity, laziness etc., and to help those in need in a more concrete way.  

In short, it is time for a new beginning.  A new strong start, for our autobiography to make a difference, not just for Lent but for a lifetime, is needed.  

Fr. Mike taught that a strong start  has 4 parts:

    -irreversibility

    -identity at stake

    -risk

    -agency

Once we make a decision it is irreversible.  We dive headlong into that decision and whatever it is,  and it will change us. 

Our identity is at stake: who will we be after we make this decision and stick with it?

It is risky: we don't know what the future holds.

Agency is making the decision to start. 

I won't go through the bad choices we could or already have made. You know your shortcomings.  But I will suggest a great choice that will change everything, one I have made a multitude of times in my life:

Confession! 

Going to confession will absolutely change your autobiography (if you are completely honest with the priest, and you are willing to be made whole.)

When you walk into the confessional and unload your life, the effect is irreversible: God forgives you. He washes you clean and those past sins no longer matter. You are free to move forward in your new holiness.

Your identity is really at stake.  After confession, you are a new creation, but that means things in your life will have to change.  The people in your life may have to change if they are holding you back from drawing closer to God. Your habits will have to change.  Your prayer time will have to change. God wants all of you! 

It is risky for all of the above reasons.  You will have to (truly you will WANT to) start being authentically Catholic. What does that future look like?  It's up to you and God.  Ask Him. He will show you. 

You have the power (agency) to make this decision.  Only you. 

Talk to God.  What strong start do you need to make to change the trajectory of your autobiography into one that delights Him? Are you willing?  

A little note on irreversibility: Every decision leads to consequences, good or bad.  If you have made bad decisions, you can reverse course and make better ones. You already know how the bad decisions have molded you, changed your identity, and affected your future.  The point here is, make a strong start toward a better tomorrow. The homily talks about the prodigal son.  He made some really bad decisions. However, he was able, with a strong start, to begin again and be healed. 

Have a blessed Lent.

A HUGE PRAISE REPORT 

Our Tenacious One was in an accident in my truck near campus last Friday.  When the call came from the Ottawa County Sherif's department, my reaction was subdued and hopeful.  I have prayed so hard for her to be safe and not hurt anyone with the vehicle.  

In the back of my mind, there was always a little niggle of a worry that she would have an accident.  Well, this the third one in less than a year.  No one was hurt badly in any of the accidents, but her confidence level in driving has dropped significantly. 

The truck was totaled (according the the sheriff-our insurance company has yet to investigate.) But OTO was checked out the the local hospital and was found fit, but bruised.  All Praise to Jesus Christ for hearing the prayers of this mom and dad and
so many others (including several Saints in heaven) who have been praying for her for a very long time. 

She will not have a vehicle now and that takes care of two prayer requests at once.  One-no more accidents that she is responsible for in her near future (though now I have to pray for her driving friends!) and two- that she would meet some very nice Catholic friends on campus this year. This is not totally taken care of yet, but she will have to attend Mass on campus instead of roaming the area in search of new places for Mass.  This increases the odds of Catholic friends on campus tremendously.  

While we are on the subject of praise, I'm also very grateful that she took a huge step toward getting her laundry taken care of on campus instead of a drive to a friend's house.  So grateful!

God is so good all the time.  Just look around you and find things to thank Him for.  Never miss an opportunity for gratitude.