The Joy of Each New Day

                                      

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it…You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever.”

“Margaret, hi!” I yelled to our friend after spotting her standing on a corner with Winston, her cute little Yorkie. She stopped and waved big waves with her arms when she recognized TJ the lab and me.

Between the end of the sidewalk where TJ and I were standing and the corner where Margaret and Winston had stopped was a long snow-covered yard. I hesitated because my running shoes were going to get wet, which meant cold wet socks and freezing feet. Snow boots would have been better!

TJ took his head out of a nearby hedge and stood with ears up as he spied them. Then Winston ran out ahead of Margaret on his expandable leash, bounding through the snow towards us. She ran behind, looking ever so much like a musher with her dog team.

“Mush, Winston, mush,” I cried, laughing at the sight of Winston pulling Margaret through the snow. All that was missing was the sled! A tiny one!

Sliding to a stop with snow on his forehead he touched noses with TJ whose tail was wildly wagging by that time. Margaret followed close behind, exuberant and glowing.

“He loves the snow,” she said pointing to her snow-covered dog. More laughter! “Isn’t it a beautiful day?” Margaret stood with arms outstretched, as if welcoming the sun.

And it really was a beautiful day! Maybe even more so because we had all been confined to our homes for a couple of days previous due to a big storm with thirty-six straight hours of snow predicted. School had even been cancelled.

Pickup trucks with snow plows attached could be seen coming down our street; and trucks laden with salt were on the main thoroughfares. Most people were refraining from driving on the slippery roads which was smart. It was not a good time to be out driving around.

I didn’t really mind staying home for those days—there were plenty of things to do to keep busy. Also, we were well supplied with good food and goodies, thanks to Al who had purchased “snow” cake, ice-cream, topping and peanuts! But poor TJ missed our daily walks and stood often at the big picture window in the front room looking longingly outdoors.

The view from every window was the same, swirling snow dancing in all directions to the melodies from the ten wind-chimes hanging from the eaves of our house.

When the weather finally changed, permitting us to be outside, TJ and I took advantage of it at the first opportunity.

What good timing that we happened to be outside when Margaret was walking Winston! Dogs and people were happy! We had all made it through the big storm without any loss of power or damage from falling trees; and now the sun was shining.

 I felt the presence of the Lord through the gift of Margaret’s friendship, in the laughter over Winston’s frolicking in the freshly fallen snow and in being outdoors in our transformed neighborhood. Joy, pure joy.

After she and I visited a bit, the two of them went on their way towards home and we continued our walk around the block. Chatting with her felt good—the same feeling I had after going with Al to church that morning. It felt great to be alive, to be able to experience worship together and take communion in person for a change.

What if we started out each day saying, “This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it”? The joy of salvation, of being set free from sin and of knowing that God loves us can be experienced regardless of the weather or circumstances, of where we are or who is present—or not present—in our lives.  

I am so thankful for what God has done for me, for all He is doing in the here and now and for what He has planned for the future. I know He loves me…and I know He loves you! Let us always “give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Happy Valentine’s Day!

*Psalm 118:24, 28           

                                                                   Winston--our friend, the Yorkie