Looking Forward to What the Day May Bring

My husband retired--again--three years ago in hopes of having time to travel. Until this year, not much traveling has gone on since he retired. True, in 2008 we did experience the dream trip of a lifetime, largely due to the generosity of his nephew and his wife, who urged us to come to England to visit them. It was an experience we will never forget. But aside from that, things haven't worked out just the way we had planned for his retirement to be.

In the first place, since he has no hobbies aside from traveling and computing, he has been bored to tears most of the time since he retired, and often depressed. Add to that our daughter's struggle with cancer during most of last year, and yet another surgery for me (a second hip replacement). So the time hasn't all been as joyful as it could have been. But our daughter is doing well and I can now walk almost anywhere I choose to. So how can I complain?

This year we decided that since he retired to travel, we'd best be getting on with it, since we're not getting any younger and may be running out of days when we feel up to going. So we've been gone most of the summer.I had hoped to be able to use the laptop to keep up with my friends on AC, but having access to internet and time to use the laptop at the same time hasn't worked out exactly as I had planned.

I do pop in from time to time and check out my faves' articles on the iphone, but so far we haven't been able to send anything out on it. But I still think of you all.

The thing I wanted to share is that in recent months I've experienced something of a change in attitude. To be honest, I've never enjoyed traveling as much as my husband does, as traffic gets on my nerves (after living all my life in a one-horse town). Also, having to look for a motel every night or else make reservations which tie us down to a schedule, is one of my least-favorite things. If we could afford a high-dollar room every night it would be easier, but trying to find one that is clean and cool and doesn't cost an arm and a leg is a real pain.

Recently when we left on a trip and I was sweating the traffic and dreading looking for a room for the night, it suddenly occurred to me that we've being doing this for over 50 years, have driven in all fifty states at least once, and things have always worked out. We've always found a room, except for one night when we were forced to drive all night, and while we've had some vehicle accidents, they've all been right around home.

I just realized how God has taken care of us in spite of all my fretting, worrying, and complaining, and it occurred to me that He's probably not going to withdraw His care now. So I made up my mind that instead of dreading the day, I will look forward to each day with the attitude, "Wonder what great and wonderful things God has in store for us today?"

We've had some years when not everything went well, when loved ones died, and when we and other family members have experienced health problems and some other things of equal concern. But through it all, God has been there for us and brought us through it.

I have an elderly friend (old enough to be my mother) who has about as little as an American can have and get by. Yet she is always smiling and apparently happy.I once asked her how she always managed to be so happy.Her reply was, "Years ago I made up my mind to be happy regardless of the circumstances, and I've done that."

That's my goal for the rest of my life, and hopefully it will become reality. How can I not be happy, knowing God loves me in spite of all my faults and gives me so much more than I deserve? And He loves you all, too.