Just Today: Living in a Time You Did Not Choose

Life has a simple axiom: The only thing that changes is change itself.

No one lives a straight-line life. Instead, life shifts quickly.

In 2012, I saw clear skies in my life. But then things changed. We had a hot water heater burst, flooding portions of our home. My father fell. He eventually went to an assisted living center and was doing well. Then, one night, he had a stroke and died within two hours. One of my girls had some severe problems that we had to confront.

What I could not foresee watching the ball drop open the year was the seismic shocks that hit my life.

In my lifetime, dramatic events altered history and how I see the world.

When I was in 3rd grade, my teacher sent us home in the middle of the day. I got home and discovered that someone had assassinated the president. That day introduced a new and ugly word.

The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all aboard. We had always gone to space and returned. No longer.

On a bright September morning, terrorists flew airliners into some of the most prized buildings in the world. I watched the horror of the fall of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

Then, only five years ago, the COVID pandemic forced us apart and isolated.

I could not imagine that events like this could happen.

Yet, they did, and I am sure more will follow.

We sometimes wish for a simpler, more stable life. People want Andy Griffith’s Mayberry.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote from a profound faith in God, which colored his writings. In The Lord of the Rings, one conversation stands out as particularly relevant: “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” Frodo laments. “So do I,” responds Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

This echoes the teachings of Jesus. In the Gospel of Matthew, He measured the faces of those burdened by worry about their most basic needs—food, clothing, security.

His words resonate now more than ever: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34).

Ultimately, we have today. Let us fill today with actions that uplift others, honor our faith, and nourish our spirits. And those can carry us through changing times.

At the end of this day, may we reflect and recognize it as a good day.