Holy Spirit Moments

Christy: [00:00:00] Hello, everyone. We are so glad that you are here and listening to us. I’m Christy

Grace: and I am grace and you’re listening to

Christy: The Thanks Mom Podcast. Sorry. We’re outta the sorts of doing that away.

Grace: I know I hesitated a moment too long. I tried to be dramatic, but then instead it confused you, I think,

Christy: well, everyone, we’re just glad you’re back on Thanks Mom Podcast, and can deal with our glitchy errors that every now and then oh, how you been grace?

Grace: Good. Good. It’s just it’s day five of college. So getting used to all the new schedules and having fun with housemates and yeah, just trying to figure out a new system. So sorry. I’m like thinking through [00:01:00] everything. Yep.

Christy: It’s been a week of transition that’s for sure. It’s so weird. I was just telling somebody the other day. I, my funny story here. I’ll I’ll just start, cuz I just thought of it was so all my kiddos went back, not this week, but the week before, but they didn’t start. Well, your, your brother, Andrew. Said he didn’t start till Wednesday, but my elementary kids started on Tuesday and Andrew only had an hour of orientation.

So he refused to call that the first day of school. And I might have said that on the last episode, I don’t remember. And then we moved our college kids over the weekend and rearranged the whole house of bedrooms and it was absolutely exhausting, but we got it done. Yay. And so then we start the first.

You know, Monday and your brother started college on Monday. You started class on Tuesday, kids back home weren’t going until yesterday cuz now we’re hitting the holiday weekend, but Tuesday rolls around. [00:02:00] So Monday I take everybody in and my high schooler has a late start. So my three and a half year old is home.

And on Mondays I just drive in. Peter to school while Andrew is here, cuz Sophie’s here. My youngest and so that’s just all normal and Tuesday comes and my husband has surgery. He’s a surgeon, so every other Tuesday, he has surgery. And so this was that week. So I take it on Tuesdays every other week.

And so it’s just Peter. Ava had band down at the high school. I whatever. And so I’m like, all right, Sophie, let’s get up. Let’s go with your brother, you know? Oh, you wanna get changed? Okay. That’s good. Cuz sometimes I would just take her in a pajamas and you know, I’ll go with my sweats, we’ll go through the car line and we’ll drop off and come back and I’ll give her breakfast.

And Peter comes up and he’s like, come on, Sophie, you gotta move. You have school. And I’m like, oh my. I have a preschooler. She has [00:03:00] school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I need to get moving and luckily she was already dressed, but I’m like, okay, go down and have breakfast with Peter. And luckily there’s a delay from dropping off the actual elementary students, and then they stagger the drop offs.

So then preschool starts actually at eight and not. Where the first bell for the big school rings at seven 50. So she could eat the rest of her breakfast in the car. I run back upstairs to get socks. I felt bad. Like she was fine. Luckily, you know, it’s preschool, everything was set. I felt really bad that I was the mom and not remembering.

And my seven and a half year old was remembering that she had school, like his sister had school. Sophie was so excited. She’s like, yeah. And I’m like, I’m so glad you’re happy. Cause this doesn’t seem hectic to you then. So, but I was like are serious. It’s only, I guess it’s was her third day. Tuesday. I took everybody.

And the very first day I took her in, it was only a half day, Thursday. Your dad takes her in and then on not used to it yet, I just was [00:04:00] not used to it. And so I felt like that’s how the whole week went. It was like, okay, the kids would leave and I’m. Okay, so who’s here. Okay. Sophie still. Okay. What do I do today?

Oh, and then yesterday was like, okay, she’s not here. So what do I do today? And I know it’s gonna be like that next week, cuz it’s a four day week as well. And then that’s like me right now by the next following week, I’ll be like, okay, this is what a full week looks like. And then the week after that, so now it’ll be mid-September I’ll be like, okay, this is what should be happening.

Grace: Yeah, I know. That’s I’m not there yet at all. That’s me right now, too, where you’re just like. What does today look like? I haven’t done one of these yet. What does today look like? Yeah. And I was telling you it’s this year for me is so much different, cuz I usually have mostly morning classes and I’ve had 11, like starting either at 11 or 2:00 PM.

So like every day.

Christy: Oh weird.

Grace: So what do I do today? Like, and you know, and that’s just getting used to new routine, but like, it even feels less like normal school year, like to me, because it’s just a different than I’ve ever done [00:05:00] school. And so I’m just like. What, like, I just, you just feel all outta sorts.

You’re like, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Like, and you’re like, I mean, you do know what you’re supposed to do. Cause you have a schedule and you have your to-do list. Well, this is why I should get done now, but it’s so it’s funny how your head just feels. So like discombobulated, even when you’re like, I have a plan, I know where I’m going and what I should be doing.

And, and yet I still feel really weird. Like

yeah. Nothing’s normal yet. Which, which is okay. We all know that it’s okay to be like that, it’s just, yeah. Wrapping around and, and saying, I’m gonna give myself the time to let this kind of feel, feel it out, feel what normal is, feel, how this should yeah. Fit in.

Yeah. I know. I’m trying to do that with my own schedule and routine and slatting things in, and I just don’t know yet. So I feel like things are in a lot of flux, which I know everybody’s probably going through something very similar. So.

Yeah, and then we’ll get it down soon enough and then you’ll be like, I thought I just [00:06:00] started and it’s already been eight weeks.

Christy: Like I know it’ll be October and I’ll be like, oh, am I there yet? Okay. Maybe .

Grace: Yeah, exactly. It’ll be well. And it’s funny. I don’t know if this is a funny story, but I guess I’m gonna make it. My funny story. I just laugh. I love fall, you know, I’m like, I’m not overly loving a fall the way I think some people get super excited.

Like I’m not over the top, but I love it. Like a normal person, I guess, is how I describe .

Christy: Are those other people not normal? Is that what you’re saying?

Grace: I don’t know. Well, because some people are like, oh my gosh. It’s the end of August. It is almost September. And on September 1st, I’m pulling out all the August-ie the autumn decor, all the pumpkin spice lattes, all the da, da, or even like the last few days of August.

And I’m just like, no, I’m not anti that. But I was like, I’m just not excited for that right now. And I think more in a sense of like, it doesn’t feel like fall and like, that’s more the attitude of like, oh, I want it to be fall. So I’m gonna start acting like it’s fall kind of thing. But I’m like, why are you?

Like my brain’s just been so [00:07:00] baffled where I’m like, why are you? There’s? No, there’s no red leaves yet, right? There’s okay. Fine. They’re selling the pumpkin stuff,

but

Christy: That’s what it is. It’s the marketing of the pumpkin stuff. Yeah. And I love pumpkin stuff. I’ll say that. Yeah. But it’s the marketing of it that made everybody crazy.

And I think you gotta at least wait to like, September 22nd or 23rd. Whenever the solstice is.

Grace: I don’t, I guess I don’t mind if other people do it, but it’s been funny cuz I just, usually I’m excited. I’m like, yay. Fall. I, I like this kind of music to listen to during fall. I like to wear this. I like da, da, like I love pumpkin spice latte or things like that, but it’s just been funny where I’m like, seeing people get excited and I’m like, absolutely just not interested.

I’m not against it, but I’m just like, wait,

Christy: We haven’t even had labor day!

Grace: Yeah, exactly. I’m just like, I really don’t care. And I think it’s just, cause it doesn’t feel like it I’m like I don’t wanna do fall yet. It doesn’t feel like fall. Like, but it’s just been funny. Like when I’m, and then I laugh at myself being very indifferent.

I’m. I would think that I’d get also very excited, but I, I [00:08:00] honestly don’t care.

Christy: Like, no, it’s, I shouldn’t sound so passionate because I don’t wanna think that it’s up there cuz I really, I love fall as well. Mm-hmm exactly. That’s I’m like it’s so warm, I think it’s because it’s so warm still. It’s like I have to wait till the solstice and I don’t wanna get so passionate about it.

Like people who start putting up Christmas, and it’s not even advent that that gets me, but let’s not go there. You were talking about your funny story.

Grace: So that was my funny story. It was just my weird attitude towards, towards fall, where I’m, where I surprised myself at my lack of excitement of fall

Christy: Or like when you said goodbye to us last week, I, I thought it was funny where.

I’m so sorry for my lack of emotion. and you said it like dead can like that too?

Grace: No, I thought I was just like, wow. I’m surprised I’m not emotional right now. Right? Exactly.

Christy: So that maybe it’s maybe it’s part of your week non emotion about us leaving it’s your senior year non emotion about people. Bringing up fall and you love fall. You’re just not there yet. [00:09:00]

Grace: It’s all sinking. That’s what, and people this week are asking like, so what year are you? I’m like, I’m a senior. And like, wow. Half of myself doesn’t believe me every time I say that, I’m like, yeah, like, yeah, right. Like, no I’m not, so it’s just a week of sinking in.

Everything’s sinking in the reality of what’s what I’ve switched over to, I guess I’m just like, did I really move out? Am I really a senior? Is it really fall? I don’t know, like yeah. Not convinced

Christy: I don’t know. I know. So I think some of that whole thinking and segues, I’m gonna make it segue into our topic, cuz we are talking about the holy spirit and I think the holy spirit we’ve talked about this, not the holy spirit in general, but how the holy spirit, as in the third person of the Trinity, a lot of times can get kind.

Sidelined maybe, or we just don’t know how to have a relationship with the holy spirit as well as we can with like identifying with, you [00:10:00] know, Christ our brother, God, our father, well, what’s this ghost, this holy ghost, this spirit. And, but as we jump into new routines, I thought we should talk about a topic that’s been on our list for a long time and we haven’t gotten there.

Mm-hmm about holy moments. And

Grace: I think this is also a requested topic as well.

Christy: Yes. I think it has been requested by our listeners and it’s just been on our list and I was just struck this week as we’re starting all these new routines and tying this all to our whole theme of the podcast and. Of my own business of just choosing to live out the extraordinary in the ordinary that as we transition and we learn how we need to surrender in a new way, or to trust the Lord in new ways with new, you know, routines, new schedules.

You know, maybe you’ve moved somewhere new. Maybe you’re a college student settling into a new dorm or with new roommates or like me, all my kids are [00:11:00] off in different ways at different places at different stages. And it’s like, okay, Lord. And I think when we think, try to sit and think and pause about our holy moments and be intentional, we realize.

By being intentional that’s when we see right. The holy moments, that’s when we see the extraordinary in our ordinary, it’s the slowing down that we could go, oh wow. God is working and moving among us. And look at this blessing that’s happened or it’s just the recognition. It’s the intentionality. It’s the seeing that.

And there’s such beauty through our faith. And so I was struck with this, just praying the rosary the other day, and I don’t even know exactly. What they were talking about, but I remember stopping and texting grace and I’m like, oh my gosh, this is the time we need to do this topic. And. Let’s pool our listeners and let’s share own holy moments, but also share some of theirs.

So we’re gonna do that today, but I also wanna encourage, if you’re listening and you didn’t get a chance to share, or [00:12:00] even if you did share and wanna share another that I think this is a topic that we’ll revisit again, and we will compile and hold onto those. So you can definitely comment or DM us and we’ll make sure to get you a shout out the next time we have.

A part two of holy moments. So, yeah. Yeah. So let’s talk about the holy spirit and how we see it active in our lives through different holy moments, grace. Yeah. So do you have one you wanna start with?

Grace: I was just looking through, so a little thing about holy moments before I kind of jump into that is what I think I’ve really how I’ve seen it play a role in my life is often when I pray for something.

Then I start noticing what I’ve prayed for and it might have already been there, but it’s something that all of a sudden it’s catching my attention. And sometimes it is a specific thing. Like I prayed for one specific thing and that doesn’t normally happen. And then it does, you know, mm-hmm , but it’s a lot of times it’s those little things that.

Pop up and you’re like, oh, that’s a [00:13:00] normal occurrence. But I realized this time that it’s God trying to get my attention, or I’ve heard people call him God winks, too, where you’re like, oh, that looks anyone else’s eyes that looks normal. But I know I just was praying about X, Y, Z the other day. And that was exactly the Lord getting my attention through whatever it was.

And so. But it just kind of bugs me. I was just talking to my roommate about this before, and she’s like, I wanted to submit one, but I couldn’t. She’s like, I always forget those things after they happen. And I thought of that like a year or two ago. And so I haven’t been perfect at this, but I, I made a Google doc for myself where I’ll just like, when I remember I’ll just write it down, which I’ve, it’s been over a year since I made this doc and I only have 10 things on there, so I’m not good at remembering that I did it, but I just made like a doc of like answered prayers so that I could go back and remember, and I was just reading through it now to like, find one to share it. And I was like, I forgot that I even was like, concerned about this and wanted this.

And then that was answered. And so that’s beautiful. I think that’s the coolest thing is like, when you pray for it, that then draws your attention to it. [00:14:00] Sure.

Christy: You know, so yeah. Well, I was just thinking. So last week, we mentioned how not last week, this past week, we mentioned at the beginning of this episode, that this past week we switched, it was Grace’s last day here.

I don’t think she was always super happy, but we switched around all, everything before she moved in the house. And if you remember, we got to the point of needing to restack the bunk beds, and we couldn’t find the pegs mm-hmm and your dad was. I know they’re in a drawer, they’re this or that. And the girls are like, no, we just saw them.

They were under the bed, moving them. Like they’re not put away. They’re they’re out in this mess in this complete chaos that our house was, but

Grace: We pulled them out. We saw ’em today. We just don’t know where someone set them

down.

Christy: Right. And I just said, okay, stop. And I was like, all right, St. Anthony, come on, let’s go, Tony, Tony, please come down. Something’s lost that must be found. And I even remember saying that I’m like, Nope, he comes through every time. They’re gonna be found within less than five minutes, [00:15:00] three minutes. Ava’s like we found ’em and I’m like, see, and, and maybe they were in plain sight, but I love how you said it just draws our attention to going.

We know they’re here. Just make it apparent where they are. Like they might not have been in the garage and then, you know, holy spirit lifted them into the house, but it’s just opening our eyes and it’s having us pause and not be frantic that it was like, Here they are. And now we found them and now nobody needs to be upset.

And I just remember going, I’m not gonna freak out about this. It’s. They’re they’re here. This, this is trivial, you know, but it would bring a little more peace to the situation, you know? Yeah. Spirit. See Anthony, can you find these and boom, they were there, you know,

Grace: St. Anthony. That’s how I felt like he kind of befriended me was it was like blah, blah, blah, freshman or sophomore year.

Like for months straight, I noticed it was. My attention was just drawn. Every time I prayed to say Anthony to find something, which I just was doing out of habit already within minutes, I would find whatever it [00:16:00] was. And it was usually small things, but I just, it was catching my attention where it was every time.

And I was like, all right, like, you know, I was just kind of like, okay, he’s really interceding for me right now. Like he’s getting my attention. So like just grew closer him in that way. And one thing that really just made me smile, I was coming back. I think mom, this is when you guys were like out of town and like I dropped you guys at the airport and had the car at college for a week.

So I drove, so cuz I was because I was driving by myself back to hope and I wanted to park in this specific parking lot that was closest to my dorm. And it’s always full, it’s a very popular spot for a lot of different residencies. Like, you know, a lot of people live right near this one and I was like, it’s gonna be.

But so, so as I’m driving, I was like, Saint Anthony, can you find me a parking spot? This one’s always full, but it would be great if I didn’t have to walk tonight and I could just go across the street and I turn in and like right. There was a spot sitting there. Oh. And I like laughed. I was like, are you, like, I was like, that has never happened.

The one time I’ve been finding a spot in there was like coming back from mass when everyone else was [00:17:00] at church mm-hmm because that’s when everyone used their cars, like at a consistent time. So it was like, Rolling. I was like, that was the only time I have found, I have found a parking spot there because it’s always so full.

Christy: And so isn’t that so cool?

Grace: Yeah, it, that was just really cool. I was like, wow. You even would find a parking spot for me, ,

Christy: Right. And I think it was from that from you sharing that, cuz that was a couple years ago. Or a year and a half, whatever.

Grace: It was freshman or sophomore year. Cause I was,

it was pre COVID or maybe, I don’t know, maybe I can’t remember if it was before or after COVID

I can’t remember.

Christy: I remember you saying that, but because of that, and I think because of another podcast or somebody, I think they were talking about St. Anthony and I think of it as lost things a lot. Like I lost my keys. I need to find that. And I thought of it. I was listening to this and realized how with St.

Anthony, I think of the word lost, but they were saying, but no, he’s, he’s the patron of finding things. And I was like, oh, and you had said that, and somebody else pointed out. So I had surgery, I’ve mentioned that on my [00:18:00] hip back in June, and I have had so many insurance issues with this and grace will know two weeks, less than two weeks prior, they call up and they say it hasn’t been improved by an insurance.

And I. What, like I need this, I mean, there, I could go into whole thing with my insurance agency, but I won’t do that on this. I’m gonna share the, the holy moment here was I was encouraged to pray, to St. Anthony, to find a way to figure this out. Yeah. And just to surrender it, I couldn’t do anything. It had to go to an appeal.

It was in the doctor’s hands, two different doctors appealing to this. And I said, Lord, you know, this has to happen. Like this is something that I need done. And just find a way, see Anthony find a way. And the day of they called me that the day of the appeal, they called me that evening. It was like, they were like, yep.

It all went through. It’s fine. And I was like, see, it just, it was like, if I can slow down to go, this is how I’m gonna pray [00:19:00] about this. And, and stop fretting for me. It was, it was a lesson in. This is completely outta my control. So why am I gonna take waste my time worrying? And I think grace, actually, you were the one who were like, this is outta your control.

So you just tell God what to like that you gotta take care of it. And my friend Kim is always so good with that. I’ve shared that many times. She’s just like, this is where you just dump it back to the Lord and go, I can’t do anything here. So if you want it done, you need to step in. And I was talking about that.

I think it’s great. How, I don’t know. Those things teach me to slow down. Through doing nothing to become dependent. If you want this Lord, I can’t do anything. I’m recognizing my smallness now the holy spirit, but it’s us stopping and letting the holy spirit work. Yeah. It’s like, and then we become aware.

And anyway, so that was, that was another little thing of mine connected with St. Anthony, but just the holy spirit of I’m surrendering it here. You. Go!

Grace: Even that attitude, you’re just talking about, like, I can’t do anything. So if you want it to happen, it has to happen. I [00:20:00] was just talking about that with my housemates today, cuz one of them was like, remind me.

I knew at one point you thought you were gonna have to stay for an extra semester at Hope. And I was like, yeah, I have been through, up and down left and right. Like trying to figure out my five year or my four year plan. Like every year, something comes up where there’s a possibility that I’m gonna have to add time.

And every year something fixes itself where it’s like, oh yeah, actually you don’t because cuz this now, or this, and some requirement is fulfilled somehow or some credits came through. Like, but I, I don’t think since sophomore year I haven’t had a semester where there hasn’t been like, I’ve run into some issue where it’s like, and now I have to deal with this and get this approved for it to check this box for me to like get out in four years, like.

It is just been frustrations and mom, you know this cause I’m always calling. I’m like, well now pray for this to go through. Cause I found another reason that I possibly might not. I was like, and I’ve just, its just, it’s been so frustrating. But after like a year of this, like there’s one semester specifically that there’s a lot of road bumps and it’s only [00:21:00] been little one since then.

But after that one semester it was really frustrating and then everything fell, fell through. Eventually when something comes up, I almost laugh. I’m just. The Lord figured out that craziness so far, like I’ve gotten this far and he’s paved the way for a four year. I was like, I, I was like, Lord, you’re not gonna just stop now.

Like you worked so hard to make sure all those other things worked out. I was like, right. I don’t see how this is gonna work out right now, but it’s gonna work out. Like I was like, you’ve figured it out this far. Right.

Christy: I think just little things. Like when we’ve gone on big trips, a lot of ours have come from like we’ve traveled. Like we went to Europe a couple years back and. I remember your dad just saying we’re gonna pray for many miracles, just many miracles. We have a lot of us traveling. We were following Grace’s tour for choir that they were there.

And so you step into the UK and were this family of seven at the time, I was actually expecting Sophia. And so I was [00:22:00] pregnant, but you didn’t really know I was not showing and was early. And we get there and we we’re flooding into the UK. It’s the end of June. And that’s their big holiday because they’re Schools go longer than the us holidays and than the us does into the summer.

And so people were just influxing from all over from Europe, from the us, whatever. So, I mean, Heathrow was just packed and we’re walking into customs and into passport control. And I remember walking up this lady and they’re like, how many? And they’re directing people to lanes like 2, 2, 3, 3, whatever.

And. We were, we come in and your, your brother was falling apart and we’re just dead tired. And we have a connection to make and all these things and your dad’s like seven and she kind of chuckled. She’s like, huh? What? And he goes, no, we’re seven. And she goes, oh, way over there. To the shortest line, because it was for these parties of big people, you know?

And it was just like go and it was like, see, that was a mini miracle. We only have had to wait like 20 minutes and it’s, but it was thanking. And your dad [00:23:00] prepping us. Like, we’re gonna look for these. We are gonna be intentional about seeing just these little things like that. The connection to the train went, right.

We got off at the right stop or. The other one, your dad shared was just when we came to see you in Poland, grace, and mm-hmm, our luggage didn’t make our connection from one of our flights. It was a really fast turnaround and we come to get our place to stay in Poland and it was the most bizarre we even videotaped it.

Finally with grace, we recorded us going up and down the stairs in and out of. Off the main street through a tattooer of two parlor, this other tourist trap maze thing, trying to find this lock to go through this door. Then up these two flights through another door to another door, we couldn’t figure it out.

We had to find this Polish guy. He was helping us. He took us the other opposite way and started talking to these people. My whole point is it took like 25 minutes, a half an hour to figure this out the full time, first time. But we had no luggage. Mm-hmm it was very frustrating when we got off the [00:24:00] plane and our luggage wasn’t there, but we would’ve like walked for half an hour, hauling these bags.

This is before my surgery. So I couldn’t lift all this stuff with my hip. And your dad would’ve been just exhausted. And it wasn’t like there was a place that was safe to leave it where out in these corridors, like it was really uncomfortable and. We got in and I about lost it, cuz I was just so stressed and your dad was just like, but at least we didn’t have to do with luggage.

And the luggage came the next morning and he could just recognize that and say, that was just the holy spirit. It didn’t seem convenient that our luggage had been not made the connection or been lost. But if we had to go through that, we could look back and go, well, at least the luggage wasn’t with, with us.

And mm-hmm that was just, yeah. Amazing. Yeah. So.

Grace: I’m trying to think of a few I’ve people have talked about specifically, if you prayed the rosary you see you, or you earn, or you see signal graces mm-hmm I kind of, I think it was like defined kind of as this repeat of like, this is [00:25:00] something like a sign that the word will often use with me.

Like, you know, a personal, like, there’s probably a story there’s probably, but like when you see it, it. It’s like another God wink idea. I don’t know. I don’t know the whole definition behind signal graces. I don’t know if that’s right, but I’ve noticed I had a really cool experience. I, I prayed for Novina intention when I was in Poland.

And I also prayed to St. Trese for arose. And then I went. To again. Then I got to go see her where she was buried and a lady handed me a rose, which in and of itself was just such a cool experience to be in front of her tomb. And then know that this was the answer to the prayer, like an intention I was praying for.

But since then, my attention, like I said, it’s a lot of it is just your attention being drawn to it. My attention is just drawn to like, All flowers, roses. Yes. But also just like all flowers and I’m like, it’s just been a cool, like, that’s just, God’s little wink at me of like, I have a special love for the little flower and she’s very special [00:26:00] in my life.

And so when I see that, it’s just kind of like a reassurance, like, okay, he’s here. He’s with me. He’s following me. He knows that like some of it’s just like he knows, I would notice that and smile. Like it doesn’t have to be an answer to prayer. It’s like that’s, but that’s his little signal to me to be like, Hey, I’m here, I’m with you.

And like, I think of it. I got this comforter like four years ago, but it has flowers all over it. And I didn’t think of it until I came home from Poland and I was looking at it. I was like, I, I have a flower comforter. And I don’t, I hardly, really noticed that until now, until I always notice that now in the mornings I’m like, there’s more flowers and I just see ’em every, like, it’s just, that’s one of.

Ones I like, or what was another one?

Christy: That’s awesome. Well, you were talking about the rosary and I have one here from Dawn, my friend Dawn that commented about the rosary too. And she was just saying how it just brings her such peace and how it just centers her and that cuz I was mentoring about [00:27:00] what I did with the rosary and that type of thing.

And so she was. Saying how she just loves that, that how the rosary just is a calming and that daily. What did you call? What type of graces you were talking about it? Signal graces, signal graces. And I think that’s just such a, a beautiful way. Like the way she said it is that she sees the graces that come through praying it, and she can recognize the holy spirit more just through how the rosary centers, her and anchors her in that type of thing.

So thanks Don for sharing that with us, we really liked that hearing that affirmation .

Grace: What’s another one. I like my friend Emily, she sent this in and this was like about signal graces too, where she says my holy spirit moment. My sister passed away at the age of three when I was five and a half years old. She had trisonomy 13. God sends me reminders that she’s always with me by my side. I see rainbows and ladybugs. And I think of my sister and I love that one too, where it’s like just the nature things where you’re like, that’s just, that’s what the reminder is. And. [00:28:00] It’s just those sweet little details like that, you know, God would always the artist enough to plan that.

Even if everyone else is like, oh, cool. A rainbow. You’re like, okay, but this is. I know this is for me though. And everyone else would be like, oh yeah, whatever, but you’re like, Nope, this is his,

you know?

Christy: Right. Well, I love this one just from Greg. This is a kind of, this is such a cool story. And my parents have stuff like this too.

Like, we all have different stories of like, how God just like. Intervenes like, boom. Right. So he said it was early March, 1985, his senior year at Purdue. He received job offers on the west and east coast, but I wanted to stay in the Midwest interviews were held at the Stewart center and I just finished one on the first floor.

I remember being told the third floor had excellent artwork, but I had never made it up there in my four years there. As I neared the stairwell, I decided to pass and head back to my fraternity. And then I was literally. Physically [00:29:00] shoved into the stairwell. I looked around, no one was there. And then I went up to the third floor and noticed the Sperry computers later of, of Minneapolis St. Paul. That they were conducting open interviews. I signed up, I got a job offer. It took me to meet my wife Janice a year later. And the great and his great life happened. Of course he goes some of course, Greg would say sometimes I someday, I hope to find out who shoved me, Greg. I think in Heaven you will meet them face to face.

So thank you for sharing that. I love hearing those stories, how, like how we just talked the other day about discernment and that God doesn’t usually speak through neon signs, but I guess sometimes he just shoves you into a stairwell and says, go this way. So not most of us, but for Greg that happened, so thanks. Right.

Grace: Yeah. I’ll read. I think this is, oh, we’ve got two more. This one is from our friend Sophia and I just love these kind of things, cuz it’s like, you [00:30:00] can’t even control it. She just says, whenever I walk to the tabernacle at school masses, I always smile. No matter what, it just always makes my day. And I love those there’s those little things like about the Catholic faith or whatever it is when someone talks about something or says something or you’re near whatever it is.

And you’re like, I literally can’t help, but smile. Or I can’t like, it just brings you joy and it’s like, I can’t help it. It’s not,

Christy: I don’t know. I had a friend who said back, this was in college and she could just recognize the presence. Of the Lord. Like she knew if in, in a chapel, as she walked into a chapel or a church, she could recognize the present of the holy spirit for a certain amount of time and not even have to see the red handle that the, that the Jesus was present in tabernacle because some chapels that she would go and pray.

The host wasn’t present. So the red light wasn’t on. So in Catholic churches, there’s a red candle lit when the true presence is present in the tabernacle. When it’s closed, you don’t always see it exposed, but it’s a way of [00:31:00] knowing that Jesus is present there in the bread. That’s already been consecrated and being held in the tabernacle.

And it was like a gift to her. She felt like that. I didn’t have to know that the holy spirit just hit me and I could just know that presence. That it was there or not when she would walk into certain spaces. And that just always struck me as really powerful when I was in college to be like, I want this Spirit, I wanna be aware of that.

You know, I wanna that spirit active in my life like that. You know,

Grace: It’s like John Paul the II, apparently he would know a lot of times where a chapel was in a place together been to mm-hmm and they would purposely try to not make the door look very. Chapel like, or close it or something or take him a different route because he would, if he found a chapel, he’d stay there for hours and he’d get off schedule when he was visiting places.

But he would pass like one time he like passed a door, pause, looked at it and like waved his finger at like his tour guides or whatever. And like went in there for an hour. Like he just would know he was like no, I know what’s here. Like ,

Christy: that’s [00:32:00] so cool. I love it. I read.

Grace: You wanna read the last one we have.

Christy: Sure, sure. I have this one from Bri that I just love this, cuz this just happened yesterday. So we put a shout out to all of you and Bree goes, okay. My Holy Spirit spirit moment for me and our family just happened today that she wanted this share. The backstory is she left her nine to five job to be more present at home with her son.

And, but she’d still their family needed income. That of her that she needed to bring in. So we figured out the minimum, monthly number for their family. And I had half of that coming in through a contract job. And I got a call back yesterday doubling the weekly hours. Coming next week. Like, so just starting next week, her, her doubling her weekly hours.

So now with eight hours a week at this place they’re set for their financially needs for their families. Eight hours versus 40 hours and eight hours are flexible. So she’s able to stay home with her son still. So she’s not [00:33:00] increasing that or taking away from, and having to go back to something nine to five, she wasn’t expecting this call or increase in these hours.

So it was totally, she said, felt like a holy spirit moment. It totally was Brie a holy spirit moment. So that’s awesome. That knew what was best. Right, right. As your family, what your family needs when it needs it, it’s just beautiful. And, and I, I find that people find these all the time. Like I remember. Or just angel stories that pass by, like my mom shares that she is sure she had an angel encounter when I think it might have meant me and my brother.

Were born or maybe just me and it was winter. And they only had

Grace: , I think she thought she was pregnant with someone.

Christy: OK. Maybe she was pregnant with my brother and I was in the car and they were sharing a car, my dad and her cuz we only had one car. And so she would drive my dad to work and come pick him up.

And I think that’s probably why she was pregnant. She fell asleep or dozed off. I was in the car and she woke up in a ditch or maybe [00:34:00] she was pregnant with me either way. Mm-hmm and. This is way before cell phones or anything like this. And she was, you know, winter pregnant, freezing cold car in a ditch.

Can’t get anything, can’t get it out. And on this like country road and just sat there and was praying and out of nowhere, a car came, she said, these two guys got out now just back in the seven. People did this more often than they do now, but she said they were bearded. They got out, they didn’t say anything.

And they pushed her on out of the ditch. They just motioned for her to get in the car and to, you know, either reverse or accelerate, put it in neutral. They got the car out of the ditch. She got outta the car to turn and thank them and the car was gone. She didn’t hear it drive off. She didn’t hear it hear a door slam. She never saw it. And the men were just gone.

Grace: I think she said there weren’t tire tracks either. Like it’s it’s winter and there’s just no tire tracks.

Christy: There was nothing, it just appeared and came out. And I loved hearing that story of my mom when I was younger and just, and she wasn’t scared. I think that’s [00:35:00] so awesome.

Cause I think if like I ever encountered an angel or this supernatural being like. And we always hear in the scriptures, how they’re giant, how they’re, you know, this type of thing. But she had a, a calming piece about her when this happened, where I’d be like, oh my gosh. Like, you know, and, and how the angels in the Bible, when they appear to Mary and Joseph for whomever and dreams are always like, do not be afraid.

And they’re, there’s this, this messenger. And I just, yeah, so that, that was always really cool. I wanted to share that, even though she didn’t write that one in, but it was a moment that impacted me of her just sharing it. So I think it’s just so good. I think that’s why you and I wanna do this too, is just to share them because they’re so encouraging and uplifting and good and cause us us off to just kind of pause and say, let’s slow down and recognize the holy spirit in our lives and the work.

The spirit is about and to have a deeper relationship and know that he is around us and to slow down to recognize that extraordinary in the ordinary.

Grace: Definitely. [00:36:00] Yeah. I felt, I felt like this was when we were putting this up on the story. Like, this is just the definition of what we’re trying to pay attention to is the extraordinary in the ordinary.

And that’s what these holy spirit moments really are when it comes down to it. And that’s just so cool to me. I love it. We should do these instead of funny, funny stories at the beginning of episodes, I think it makes then we like are paying attention for it. You know?

Christy: It’s really great idea, grace. I think we should start doing that. It might even be combined who knows.

Grace: So yeah, maybe we’ll do both.

Christy: So, but yeah, definitely share this episode. Maybe it was encouraging to you. I hope it was. And uplifting. Yeah. And start recording those. I loved Grace’s idea of even maybe alongside a gratitude journal that you put down those holy spirit moments.

And we’ll definitely have to come back to this and have another episode and, and share more things done here. Yeah’s so fun. We could probably fill hours. The next time we’ll have to, you know, keep repeating. It’ll have to be a reoccurring one, cuz I just, I know we’re gonna get flooded with people being like, I wanna share mine, give a shout out.

Grace: Please share your holy spirit moments with us. We can make this like a regular [00:37:00] episode that we just share some, so it’d be cool. Awesome. Awesome. Subscribe, rate, review comment. Share us with others. Thanks mom. Podcasts on Facebook and Instagram. Christina M. Brown, Christina underscore underscore M underscore, underscore brown on Instagram and

Facebook too.

I’m Christina, Christina Brown on Facebook. Mm-hmm

yep. And the emails. Yeah. Yeah.

Awesome. Wonderful guys. And we hope you join us next time

on the thanks mom podcast. Bye!