
Catch up on laundry. Get groceries. Get the oil changed in the van. Run to the bank to make a house payment. Bake a treat for my daughter’s class. Finish writing an article. Take the girls to piano lessons. By the time the school bus drove away, my list had grown longer.
I threw a pile of laundry into the washer and headed on my way. As the windshield wipers smacked against the windshield, I longed for one more relaxing day at the beach. Pushing a cart full of groceries through the pouring rain seemed like a cruel welcome home.
As I pulled into the parking space a thought crossed my mind. What if my kids were grumbling like this? I'd probably tell them: You just had a great vacation ... instead of complaining, how about being thankful for what you have? Ouch. Maybe I needed a new perspective. After all, I had a choice to make. I could choose a bad attitude, or I could choose to be grateful.
I thought about my to-do list full of mundane tasks. In reality, everything on the list was evidence of a blessing.
Though my groceries might get a little wet, my family wouldn’t go hungry. Though it took time to drive across town to the bank, we had a comfortable home and a steady paycheck. Though getting the oil changed wasn’t very exciting, I had reliable transportation - and a good book to read while I waited.
I sprinted through the rain to the front doors of the grocery store. “Lovely day, huh,” the grocery store clerk mumbled, handing me a cart.
“Yep,” I said with a smile.
My day wasn’t about running errands and doing laundry. I was managing our blessings. Thinking about it from that perspective, suddenly made the day much brighter.