Part 1 of 5.
Moments before I drifted off to sleep the other night, as I reveled in a chance to rest after a hectic but productive day, I thought, “Thank you, Lord, for this most amazing day.” For some reason I thought that would be a great thought to write about in the morning if only I could remember it. (You know the drill: “That idea was so good I’ll surely remember it when I wake up.” Uh huh.)
It’s not original or mind-breaking, just a good positive thought. But I was too comfy to get up and write it down, so I repeated it a few times in my head to help me remember.
I woke up two or three times in the night, and before I rolled over and went back to sleep, I thought, “There was something I wanted to remember: Oh yeah, ‘Thank you, Lord, for this most amazing day.’”
And when I sensed it must be 5 a.m. and time to get up, I thought, “Thank you, Lord, for this most amazing day. Hey! I remembered!” Not only did I remember, but I felt rested and refreshed and eager to sit down and start writing.
What a difference when you hold such a thought in your head all night, instead of the worries and cautions from here and there and up and down. What was it I wanted to remember? Oh yes: Thank you, Lord, for this most amazing day.
Focus your psyche on gratitude, love, peace, generosity, all of the things that comfort, and set aside worries and woes and nasties and anger. The bad stuff is out there and challenging, but a call to and recognition of the miracle of life clears the deck and sets the mind for positive action.
The idea (call it affirmation) sounded like naive drivel until I literally decided to try remember thinking every time I woke one night, “Thank you, Lord, for this most amazing day,” and when I rose from bed the sense of gratitude was there not only in my head but in my heart and now my hands.
I really did thank God for this most amazing day: Another set of hours, another round of daylight, another burst of energy after a night’s rest, another beginning, another cycle, another try, another opportunity to succeed. Thank you, Lord, for this most amazing day!
Oh, all the muss and fuss and grindly-do is all waiting to be mucked through, and I could start grumbling about it first thing, but what a difference to start the day with gratitude, to have spent each short waking in the night thinking, “I wanted to remember something, what was it? Oh, yes — Thank you, Lord, for this most amazing day.”
Every end is a new beginning — Every problem is an opportunity — Every obstacle is a challenge — Even the stormiest days are most amazing. What do you gain by looking at the pile of obstacles and saying, “Oh, woe, it’s a pile of obstacles”? Look up, see the horizon and know the answer is just a short journey away, a few steps down the road. What a most amazing day.
“Just another day”? “Another day, another dollar”? “Let’s just call it a day”?
Do you know what a day is? A day is a microcosm: The light emerges and grows brighter and warmer, life stirs and stretches and moves, it renews itself and creates and loves and communicates, we set a purpose and a goal and follows through the best we can, and when the light begins to fade, we assess the day’s triumphs and what may have fallen short, and we rest.
And for most of us another day waits on the other side of the darkness, for we are given thousands of most amazing days in a lifetime before we rest for good. How much better a lifetime if we take time to remember, so we don’t forget in the morning, what an amazing gift each day is.
“I needed to remember something in the morning” — No, all day, consciously, every moment I have to reflect — Thank you, Lord, for this most amazing day.