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This is going to be the best day of my life

My daughter was married this June and her new husband has a 6 year old daughter. As a result, I am a new Grandmother. She was visiting last night and she was filled with delight. "Tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life!" She was going to get off school and going to the aquarium with her best friend. Wow! Life was good! After she left I thought of how wonderful it must be to have that fresh and joyous approach to life. Then I thought, "What if I did?" So...
I had planned a short trip to the Jack Daniels Distillery with my husband and daughter. I decided to mimic my granddaughter. Throughout the day I kept saying to myself, "This is going to be the best day of my life!" This mantra seemed to refocus my mind and spirit. It rained and it was an outside tour. "The best day of my life!" It was sweltering. "The best day of my life!" I had swollen legs and used a wheel chair. "The best day of my life!" I was concerned that my daughter was having surgery tomorrow. "The best day of my life!" I said something stupid at lunch. "The best day of my life!" And I did have a wonderful day. After all, here I was, with the two people I love most in the world. We're together and it has the possibility to be the best day of my life! But only if I let it.
I want to expect to have the best day of my life every day.

Trying to get a head

This is the latest in my stab at artistic possibilities. I am in a religious sculpture class with other seminarians. We are a mixed bag of old and young, priest and ministers, Americans and students from around the world. But we are complete novices. Some have more innate talent than the rest of us. The artist in residence who is teaching us is very gifted but a little nutty. All round it's a good scene. Totally non-judgemental. ("Judge not lest..."). So, with a leap of faith I grabbed wet clay in my hands and made my first attempt at sculpting. Clay feels so cool and smooth. I'm not thinking that my work is prize winning. The process is the gift. The other side of my brain feels aired out.

If we are created in the image of God then we are called to create. It's quite satisfying.

"Praise be to God for dappled things!"