Just One More Day

Last weekend, Wendy and I had the chance to get away for a quick trip to the beach.  It was wonderful.  It was chilly outside so there were not a lot of people.  We could walk on the beach without our shoes but still too cold for shorts.  It was peaceful and refreshing.  I am grateful for those moments in life.  As soon as we returned, life kicked back into high gear – the same gear it was in prior to the trip.  I live most of my life like that, and to be honest, I like it that way for the most part.  I enjoy what I do and am grateful for the opportunities I have been given.

This weekend, I couldn’t help but think how great it would be to go back to the beach.  Another weekend to breathe and rest.  On the surface, it sounds wonderful.  But, do I really want to live my life for short trips?  Do I really want to live so that my excitement is found in a few days away?  I don’t think so.

So many of us live for the weekends.  Mondays are dreaded.  We are excited for hump day because it is one step closer to Friday.  Fridays are celebrated.  It is a cycle we can easily embrace.  I wonder, though, at the end of life, if we will only be thankful for the weekends.  I wonder if, by celebrating only Friday through Sunday, we might miss the gifts of Monday through Friday.

Recently, I have spent more time than usual with those that have lost loved ones.  It is a gift that I treasure and take seriously.  I see God in those moments like no other.  He reminds me he is present and that he loves us.  Some of these people had lived their lives and were ready for whatever God had next.  They had celebrated and served and done all that was asked in this life.  They were prepared.  Others, though, would have liked to have had one more day.  They would have liked to have sat at a dinner table and enjoyed one more meal.  They would have liked to have taken one more trip.  They would have liked to have walked one more mile.  Some would even have been thankful for one more Monday…yep, that’s right – a Monday.  Why?  Because each day is precious.  If we only live for the weekends or for the special moments, we miss the moments that are special all throughout our lives.  Maybe we should live celebrating each new day.  Maybe the key to life is not to just look forward to Friday, but to look forward to the gift of another day.

i have written and said many times that each day is a gift.  I wholeheartedly believe that.  I also believe that if we live our lives just for a weekend or a special occasion that we will end our lives having missed the gifts of the other days God has provided.

Today is another day…Aren’t we grateful we have one more day?  May we live grateful…even when Monday comes.