The quality of one's day is relative, often depending on the time. Our analysis can swing wildly and quickly, especially when we are young, when we tend to make everything into a crisis. The following looks at the definition of the term, good day. This entry is from January 11, 2007.
When I made my nightly phone call to Dad this evening, he said Mom had a good day. I know what he meant. She was probably somewhat responsive and semi-coherent for much of the time she was awake. She probably was able to eat by herself and walked around when Dad was making supper. I've noticed something recently. Mom can't really communicate over the telephone anymore: I don't think she realizes there is actually someone on the other end when she can't see them. Dad might not be aware of this as he never calls her on the phone. Most of the time, Mom tells me she loves me before I hang up. That makes it a good day for me.
One of my players came up to me in the hall after school this afternoon, report card in hand. She had deduced, correctly, that her grades for the six weeks that ended before Christmas rendered her ineligible to play for at least the next fourteen days. At 3:26 this afternoon, her world crashed and her day officially became bad. In two weeks, she can play again, assuming her grades come up but two weeks is an eternity in the life of a twelve year old. It means she will miss six games or one-third of our schedule, games she can never recover or replay. Hopefully, she is going to learn from this setback and grow from her heartache. She wasn't the only girl who struggled this week. Leah found out yesterday that her career is over. A senior, Leah played for me in both 7th and 8th grades before moving into our high school program. In a tournament over the holidays, she suffered her third major knee injury since seventh grade. An MRI yesterday confirmed the worst; there will be surgery and no more active participation in the game she loves. She had been starting on our excellent Westbury Christian School Lady Wildcat team, which currently sports a sparkling 25-3 record. Leah had a bad day but I've been so impressed with her demeanor since being told that there would be no more basketball. Leah knows that life doesn't revolve around the court. Her folks have instilled in her ethics and morals that don't rely on athletic prowess, even though her father was a basketball star at Oklahoma State University. Kids like Leah understand that good and bad are so temporary when it comes to defining the value of a day. The Psalmist eloquently stated our responsibility to the twenty-four hour cycle:"This is the day the Lord has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)There is no mention of whether it was a good day or a bad day. It was simply a day to rejoice over because God created it. In eight hours, the sun will come up in Houston, Texas for roughly the 3,100th time since I moved here in 1998. What does the day hold? In many ways, it's up to me and the way I react to the obstacles and opportunities that intersect my path. The day the Lord provides will be just fine. The only variable will be what I make of it. My forecast calls for a 95% chance for a good day. Leave the umbrellas at home!
Applicable quote of the day:
"There is no shortage of good days. It is good lives that are hard to come by."
Anne Dillard
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
When I made my nightly phone call to Dad this evening, he said Mom had a good day. I know what he meant. She was probably somewhat responsive and semi-coherent for much of the time she was awake. She probably was able to eat by herself and walked around when Dad was making supper. I've noticed something recently. Mom can't really communicate over the telephone anymore: I don't think she realizes there is actually someone on the other end when she can't see them. Dad might not be aware of this as he never calls her on the phone. Most of the time, Mom tells me she loves me before I hang up. That makes it a good day for me.
One of my players came up to me in the hall after school this afternoon, report card in hand. She had deduced, correctly, that her grades for the six weeks that ended before Christmas rendered her ineligible to play for at least the next fourteen days. At 3:26 this afternoon, her world crashed and her day officially became bad. In two weeks, she can play again, assuming her grades come up but two weeks is an eternity in the life of a twelve year old. It means she will miss six games or one-third of our schedule, games she can never recover or replay. Hopefully, she is going to learn from this setback and grow from her heartache. She wasn't the only girl who struggled this week. Leah found out yesterday that her career is over. A senior, Leah played for me in both 7th and 8th grades before moving into our high school program. In a tournament over the holidays, she suffered her third major knee injury since seventh grade. An MRI yesterday confirmed the worst; there will be surgery and no more active participation in the game she loves. She had been starting on our excellent Westbury Christian School Lady Wildcat team, which currently sports a sparkling 25-3 record. Leah had a bad day but I've been so impressed with her demeanor since being told that there would be no more basketball. Leah knows that life doesn't revolve around the court. Her folks have instilled in her ethics and morals that don't rely on athletic prowess, even though her father was a basketball star at Oklahoma State University. Kids like Leah understand that good and bad are so temporary when it comes to defining the value of a day. The Psalmist eloquently stated our responsibility to the twenty-four hour cycle:"This is the day the Lord has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)There is no mention of whether it was a good day or a bad day. It was simply a day to rejoice over because God created it. In eight hours, the sun will come up in Houston, Texas for roughly the 3,100th time since I moved here in 1998. What does the day hold? In many ways, it's up to me and the way I react to the obstacles and opportunities that intersect my path. The day the Lord provides will be just fine. The only variable will be what I make of it. My forecast calls for a 95% chance for a good day. Leave the umbrellas at home!
Applicable quote of the day:
"There is no shortage of good days. It is good lives that are hard to come by."
Anne Dillard
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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