Stepping into Tomorrow

It had already arrived slipping into my life while I slept. So, there was no real surprise that I had made it through the night once again.

I clearly remember thanking God for yesterday and specifically naming those of you I know and those who I call "Friends I've never met."

"Bless them God and love them real good."

One bedroom window was open enough to let some fresh air in and the room darkening shades were pulled down tightly on all the others.

In this small space I end the day and begin the next if God permits.

My mind dashes randomly through the stuff of my life. The good things sail through while the the challenges often linger longer than I'd like them to.

Then God lays his hand on my head and whispers "Peaceful dreams."

It will most likely be my dog Phil who will attempt to awaken me at first light. He jumps up on the bed and walks across my back to kiss my ear.

How I begin the day often times depends on how I ended the previous one. That shouldn't be. Each day is its own, a world, a time and space that can no longer be revisited. Accept perhaps, in dusty reruns played over with real time editing to fit what I choose to remember.

I stretch, I moan a bit and mumble, "Thanks God for another day."

Then stepping into tomorrow, I begin a new journey with all the same expectations I've had for nearly 63 years.

"It's not just another day. It's another chance."

Maybe you don't realize how very important those first few minutes are.

Think about a runner in a race. What they think about just before the start sets the pace for the finish.

Think about the vocalist. What goes through their minds just before the first note sets the mood and timbre of the song.

The astronaut, the skydiver, the chemist, the preacher, the student and you, all have the same thing in common. The very moment before you begin your day will influence how it all ends.

Each day is like a seed. Within each seed is a blueprint of what it was created to be. It too, starts in the darkness knowing that there will be light ahead. The seed, the day and you evolve as you move forward.

The seed is pre-destined to be one thing. The day, measured by man's choosing and God's design, continues on and cannot be saved, slowed down or passed over.

You, uniquely you, are the only part of this plan that has a choice. From the first thought you have, until the last moment before slumber, you choose not only what kind of day it will be, but how it will impact all of your tomorrows.

It is not your circumstances that makes you who you are, but your choices.

The world has already influenced you by celebrating Fridays, dreading Mondays and pushing you over "hump day." You awaken on Saturday and shove into it a week's worth of activity. Then Sunday morning, as peaceful as it feels, slowly gives way to thoughts of Monday's unwanted approach.

Isn't it time to change your attitude?

Stepping into a new day is a gift not given to everyone. Why not treat it with the respect is deserves?

It is after all, the beginning of a race, a song, a launch, a jump, an experiment, a sermon, and a lesson.

Here's to today, my friend and many tomorrows.

Bob Perks