During Thursday’s Torah Study Rabbi Susan recounted several passages found in the Torah that described the “Day of the Lord”, referring to it as a day of reckoning. How quickly I found myself at the other end of the spectrum. Each of my days of the Lord would appear to be filled with numerous blessings when I take the time to acknowledge them. I had never considered the Day of the Lord to look any way except joy-filled. As I sat there listening, I was reminded that the Torah is a great source for finding oneself even when you find yourself not agreeing. It can even lend to finding yourself to be someone other than who you once knew yourself to be! The fact that I was ready to take a stand for the Day of the Lord being something beautiful and something we share daily just proves even more that the Torah writings do serve their many purposes. For the rest of that day I reflected on the “Day of the Lord” and it’s meaning for me.
That very next morning, I awoke to two birds singing outside my window and, with a smile on my face, I thanked God that I was beginning this day with the ability to hear those birds. As I lay in my bed, the warmth of the morning sun streamed through the windows and warmed my covers; and I thanked God that I could feel the warmth of the sun once more. I opened my eyes, looked around at familiar treasures, and found that I needed to say one more thanks to God for restoring my vision so that I might see the beauty of His world in the light of this day. And a thought came into my head – surely THIS is the Day of the Lord!
My daughter, Gina, popped her head into my room to see if I wanted to go to breakfast with her and then added that she would be leaving in five minutes so I better hustle and get dressed. I clearly saw the humor and chuckled to hear my words being served back to me by my own daughter! As we drove to breakfast, we were talking and laughing until an oldie’s song started playing on the radio. Like two schoolgirls, we stopped our conversation and began singing along. Our breakfast conversation was refreshing and I listened as Gina told me of her plans for the weekend. We were just finishing when my son, Jason, called on the cell phone to let me know he would be home for the rest of the day. We made plans to get together to work on installing two different operating systems on my laptop. I dropped Gina off at the house and as I watched her going upstairs I couldn’t help but think once more – SURELY this is The Day of the Lord!
My next stop was Jason’s. The two of us spent several hours scrutinizing different operating systems, some of which I could download and install off the Internet for free. He hadn’t eaten yet today and now his stomach was reminding him so he ordered a pizza. We continued exploring the pros and cons of different packages while we ate. We were laughing and joking when he realized the time and mentioned that he had another commitment for the evening so I packed up my things and he walked me to my car. As I drove off, I was smiling at him and thinking to myself – surely this IS the Day of the Lord.
It seemed like such a beautiful day, and with the weather obliging, I headed to the park to sit and watch the sun set. A few children were still laughing and playing on the swings in their make-believe world. The passing traffic was bumper to bumper with adults heading home to start their new weekend. I sat on the bench and watched the trees swaying in the soft evening breeze, their leaves glistening from the last rays of daylight. My thoughts quieted and my senses heightened with each new breath of fresh air. As I sat, reflecting on the treasures of the day, I smiled and quietly ask God – surely THIS was the Day of the Lord?
As the moon and the stars began to take center stage I headed home. I turned on the music, watered my plants, brewed a cappuccino, fed my fish, and slipped into something more comfortable. I sat down on the sofa to watch the fish have their evening feast and, sipping my drink, I counted all my many blessings. I couldn’t help but think one last time – surely this WAS the Day of the Lord and I have been TRULY blessed!