Surprises are everywhere and usually in unlikely places.
I receive an email every morning from my son’s middle school. It contains valuable information about the day’s schedule, upcoming events, and announcements. But, my favorite part…
Thought of the Day.
I have to admit – I don’t read the email for daily schedule (my son knows his schedule), or the events or announcements. I open and read the thought of the day. It’s short, sweet, and always relevant. Here are a few examples. I just have to share!
“Good things are not done in a hurry.”
“It takes no more time to see the good side of life than to see the bad.”
“Success doesn’t come to you… you go to it.”
“If I want to improve the world, I can start with my own life.”
“I am responsible for my own well-being, my own happiness. The choices and decisions I make regarding my life directly influence the quality of my days.”
“Life is a big canvas. Throw all the pain on it you can.”
And my favorite so far… “I will take time to smile.”
I could honestly go on and on. It makes my day. I think we need to stop sometimes and breathe in the surprises from the unlikely places. Stop and be thankful for these things that make us smile, think. I have so many times written the thought of the day in my journal so I can look back and read and feel that thought alongside my entries. See the faithfulness of how my God aligned the simple, unlikely thought of the day in a middle school daily email to what He was doing in my life and my heart. Because, see, that’s how much He loves me and that’s how much He loves you. We don’t always see these little lovely drops of love because we don’t take the time or stop and see them, smell them, and then embrace them. His love for us is ALL around us. It’s in the sunshine & raindrops, the sweet & sour, in smiles & tears, hope & the temptation to give up. It’s in the obvious & the mundane, the expected & unexpected.
The hardest part is to take this thought of the day and turn it into my anthem. My life – your life – IS A BIG CANVAS. I’ll be honest where I get stuck… I don’t want to make a mess. Throw paint. HA! HA! You straight crazy! Can you imagine the mess I will have to clean up? No thank you! To change this from a fun cute little thought to my anthem…
Can you imagine how beautiful the canvas will be?
That’s hard. That’s life. How are we going to leave our mark on this world without a mess?
I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite thoughts, or quotes you could say.
“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” – Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
I will definitely go into this more. Later. For now, let’s think on this. We may have to make a mess.