Gratitude: “Mine day!” - 1 October 2024

Cape Town’s winter this year has been long, cold and wet. Some weeks, it rained for days on end and at times, I could feel the grey weather seeping into my mood.

But just as the weather – and all the challenges it brought, like piles of damp laundry, traffic jams and a frustrated toddler feeling cooped up – was about to overwhelm me, the cold front passed and we were rewarded with a sunny day.

One such bright morning, after several gloomy days, I stood on our porch. Our house, perched on a hill, overlooks a greenbelt with vineyards on the slope. “Just look at how beautiful it is. Just look at this beautiful day,” I said to the two-year-old on my hip. She looked around and excitedly replied, “Mine day!” I couldn’t help but smile and her bright little voice echoed in my mind all day.

Isn’t this the attitude we should bring to every day? After all, each day is a gift from God, a chance to embrace life.

I often wake up thinking I just need to get through today – I just need to survive. And so, another day passes and another …

What if, instead, I woke up and said: Today is my day. Today is a wonderful, beautiful, blessed day. My day, given by God. My day to enjoy, seize and make the most of, even if it is a grey, dreary day.

And if the day happens to be tough, as life often is, remember, the sun will shine again. There will be another day when you can look up at the bright blue sky and say: “Mine day!”

Prayer: Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for the gift that I can seize. Thank you for the wonder of life and for your hand in the beauty of the world. Amen