Each Day is a Gift

I just read a great book titled, "The Moroni Code" (written by my good friend, Rebekah's dad, Jack Lyon). In it are several letters written by Oliver Cowdery. One of them really struck me. In it, he said, "Another day has passed, into that, to us, boundless ocean, eternity. .. and what flits across the mind like an electric shock is, that it will never return! Whether it has been well improved or not; whether the principles emanated from Him who "hallowed" it, have been observed; or whether, like the common mass of time, it has been heedlessly spent is not for me to say-one thing I can say- It can never be recalled."

This made me think about my days. I admit that I'm guilty of getting caught up in the day-to-day 'stuff' (laundry, dishes, what's for breakfast, lunch and dinner, errands, laundry, etc.). I mean, we have to do it, but sometimes I feel frustrated that we do. That's the test, tho', isn't it? To somehow balance the temporal stuff with the spiritual.

So, I'm challenging myself. Each day, like a page in the book of my life is written by me. At the end of the day, what did I write on that page that made it worthwhile? Once it's turned, there's no getting it back. Did I do anything that would make the angels want to read my book? Did I write this page so that my children will look back on it with fondness? Did I take steps today to bring me closer to my Savior?

When today's page is turned and sealed into eternity, will it add to my book of life or take from it? We have precious few pages here. As a child, they turned so slowly and it seemed the story would never end. Now, the pages are turning so fast it's as though someone is speed-reading through it. I don't want to waste any of them.

Now, I know that I won't be able to look at every day and know I did my best. I am soooo far from perfect. But, that's the beauty of the plan. Because of our Elder Brother, we know we can repent and once the page is turned, and a new dawn arises, we have a clean page waiting for us to try again.