ANOTHER DAY, gratitude, day 29

I'm thankful that at the end of every  day there is time to pause, to reflect, to reconsider, to evaluate, to forgive, to anticipate, to muster courage. God was kind when He decided to give us one day at a time; 24 hours at a time in which to tackle, enjoy, endure, conquer, celebrate, and grieve. Even though I like to joke about needing more hours in the day,  I also realize that there have been days when I couldn't possibly have carried through for one more second. We have all been there. Those days when getting out of bed seemed an impossible chore, when stepping outside of your door took all the energy you had, when no one else knew the pain you were carrying behind your cracked and crooked smile....those are the days when God was the closest at hand ready to carry you to the end of that labored day and into rest.  By the same token, those days of celebration and jubilance are also made all the more joyful by the knowledge that they are just moments on top of a hill from which we all come down. I wouldn't appreciate my blessings if I had always had them. If I didn't experience sadness my joys could never taste as sweet. It is the darkness of my nights that allows me to welcome the morning with humility and gratitude. So I choose to be thankful, whatever my day brings, because God never gives us more then we can handle and He never leaves us alone.  As I finish my coffee and start to get ready to leave my home for unknown recipe of events, moments, interactions, opportunities, frustrations, choices, and deliberations, I find myself a little excited. Because here I go into another 24 hours....yesterday is gone, tomorrow isn't yet here, today is the time and here are the moments before me. Consciously choosing to live in the now makes today an adventure. I am thankful for this day, I realize that I only have so many, and I will do my best to not waste one moment of it.