Wednesday, November 16, 2016 

                When his maternal grandmother asked our three and half year-old grandson William about how Day Care had gone that day, he very insightfully  opined that it had been a pretty good day, “There was no hitting.” A day with no hitting sounds pretty good to me. We all should be so lucky to have a day with no hitting!

                It got me to thinking how any of us might define a good day.

                Perhaps then…

                There were no aches and pains.

                There were no arguments.

                There were no complications.

                There was no stress.

                There was no bad news.

                There was no pressure.

                There were no complaints.

                There was no criticism.

                There were no hassles.

                There was no negativity.

Well, you get the idea, I’m sure. What is your equivalent of “no hitting”?

On a grander scale, we might add it would be  a good day because we didn’t read or see on TV any news about racism, poverty, sexism, hunger, wars, violence, or the messy aftermath of  the Donald Trump (bless his little heart) election, etc. And by that, I mean we didn’t hear about these things because they had become non-existent.  That would be a really good day! And I know what you are thinking – I have a vivid imagination and it ain’t goin’ to happen.

                So, I am ready to settle for the “lesser” things that make a day good. Maybe the issue is how we verbalize what makes a day good. The above descriptions are expressed in the negative tense of living. It can certainly be about what the day is not but it can and should be also about what is good or positive about the day.

                It was a good day…

                Because my spouse took me out for supper and it isn’t even my birthday.

                Because my boss thanked me for a piece of hard work I had done.

                Because that person smiled at me.

                Because someone complimented me on how I looked today.

                Because somebody helped me.

                Because she forgave me.

                Because we shared a wonderful memory that I had nearly forgotten.

                Because my grandson has learned the value of “no hitting”.

“This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it,” (Psalm 118: 24). It is a good day whenever we do not get sucked into the negativity that others try to lay upon us. It is a good day when we give back to the world the grace and kindness that God has shown us through Jesus Christ. It is a good day when we avoid hurting others. It is a good day when we love others. It is a good day when we decline the opportunities for sinning and doing wrong. It is a good day when we imbibe the fruit of the Holy Spirit. “As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” (Colossians 3:12).

                We’re all in “day care” i.e. taking care of the day the best we can.  I am with you, William. It has been a very good day; there was no hitting! Let’s make tomorrow even better!

Dale