There are days when everything goes great.  Green lights, ear-to-ear smiles, and magical moments made to last a lifetime.  There are days that are not-so-great, but not the end of the world either.  Things go okay, just not scrapbook-worthy.  Then there are days when taking the next breath is hard.  When, no matter how much optimism I greet the day with; regardless of the effort I put into it; or how much I want to believe my own smile, life won’t play.

Today is that day.  Hard.  Lonely.  Hurting.  Exhausting.  Unsuccessful.  Stubborn.  Unforgiving.  Today can be mean.  Cruel.  It laughs at weakness and does not sympathize with what it has dropped in my lap.  I want today to leave and tomorrow to come, but time won’t play. It will sit there, arms folded, feet firmly planted, smirking, and count down each and every second until it allows tomorrow to enter and excuses today away.

In the midst of it all, I fall into the arms of my Savior, my God.  He is the only true respite.  He is kind.  Life is not.  He is good.  He is trustworthy.  He waits with me while we listen to the clock tick tock.  He even has a few pleasant surprises along this day’s journey to make it more bearable.

I won’t feel sorry for myself, but I will admit not every day is a party.  To act otherwise is shallow, and no one believes my smile either.

Some days we climb.  Some days we rest.  Some days we just hang on.  Hanging on…