“Begin each day renewed, refreshed and glad to be alive” are the words of my grandfather Norman Vincent Peale. Part of his message is that we be aware that God is present in every aspect of our lives. I believe Grandpa would even say that, knowing that God’s love is with you helps you begin each day as such.
I wish I could say I wake up each day renewed and refreshed. I often allow my attitude upon waking to depend on a multitude of variables: what time I went to bed; how I slept; what kinds of dreams I had; what lies before me that day; what my commitments, demands, responsibilities are.
I do wake up glad to be alive, but do I really sit with that gladness? How much more often do I let all those other variables overshadow the gladness? Too often, I am ashamed to admit.
I count on messages from Grandpa, from Guideposts, from other mindful and inspirational sources to make me more aware of renewal and gladness.
This takes practice, and I am the first to say there is much practice that I have squandered and much ahead of me to tackle. But I am grateful to Grandpa Peale and so many others in my life who remind me of the power that lies within each of us to grab hold of each day in ways that might even surprise us.
