…today…well, let’s just say that I’m glad that soon it will be yesterday.  It was full of non-stop demands and falling short and constant effort with very little to show for it except for the wake of messes left behind by the hurried rushes of the day. It was full of stresses and needs and the desire to push through things that just aren’t pushed through easily. Alexander had his horrible days.  And today, well today was just one of mine.  As Alexander’s mom says in Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, “some days are just like that….”

Sigh.

Yes…today.  I’m glad that it will soon be yesterday.  I’m thankful for a little chunk of time right now to try to gain perspective, to rest, relax, and reflect on parts of the day that I don’t want to forget.

Because even on days that feel like a bit of a wash, there are usually some really sweet points to remember.  Today was no different.  There were sweet points that I will so remember.  I’m thankful for these …

…when the son who loves sports but has never made a middle school or high school team opened the car door at the high school baseball field and said, “I made the team!”  For the joy and laughter we shared afterward, and for the acceptance as he shared that he finally made the team as a “player-slash-manager.”

…the wisdom and perspective of a coach who saw the intense efforts and desires of a 9th grade kid who just wanted to be part of something to say, “We really want you to be part of our team as a player/manager, but I just want you to know that you probably won’t be playing in too many games.”

Yes, I’m so thankful for the wisdom of a coach to take him aside, welcome him in, but give him the option to be “cut” or not if he didn’t want to sit on the bench. And I’m thankful for the wisdom and acceptance of a fifteen year old boy who knows he’s not a star athlete but who is showing effort and tenacity and courage to overcome fears.  He does all of this in spite of the fact that he has a heart condition which looms overhead like a cloud that is always there, but not necessarily causing any impact.

And the sweetest moment of the day? The one that will be ingrained in my memory bank forever?  When the older brother…the older high-school-senior-starting-baseball player brother walks into the house and his younger newly-accepted-baseball-player-slash-manager brother says, “I made the team”.  The older brother’s response?   Pure joy that just filled up the room, not to mention the heart of the “player-slash-manager” “Yeah, Tanner!! Way to go Man!  That’s awesome!!  Awesome!”  Hugs.  High fives.  And then, baseball talk about uniforms and the  cool new jersey that the Varsity team will have and how to read coaching signals. .

And the acceptance continues…and the joy…and the fact that we all want to be a part of something and it just feels so good when others love us enough to laugh out loud with joy when we are happy. Our joys are their joys. That joy melted away the stresses and concerns of the day and brought perspective back to my heart that was fighting discouragement. My kids’ joy helped win the battle over discouragement that they didn’t even know I was fighting. Love that.

Yes, I’ll be glad when today is yesterday, and when tomorrow is today.  And today?  Every “today” is a gift.  Come stresses, come joys.  I’m thankful for the grace that covers in the joys and grace that covers in the gaps.  I’m thankful for lessons learned on the “some days” that are so filled with ‘horrible, no good, very bad things’, and for the successes that come from the lessons learned. I’m thankful that the One who holds me in His hand doesn’t leave when the times gets tough.  He is ‘a very present help in trouble’, And in the joys?  I can’t help but picture celebration….heavenly high fives of sorts, as we experience the victories and joys in our days. Through it ALL, His mercies are new every morning. Every morning. That truth will help me to leave behind the yesterdays, look forward to tomorrows, and have hope that allows me to look forward to the next “today”, even when I can’t wait for my today to become a yesterday.  He’s got it all covered with mercy that is new and fresh and full of hope. Because of that, I can embrace the new today.  So thankful for that Truth.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases  

his mercies never come to an end; 

they are new every morning;  Great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23