Just a suggestion . . .

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

²³ 

This was the Lord’s doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴ 

This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it. --Psalm 118:1, 22-24

You may have noticed by all the ONE DAY ONLY sales going on: Today is Leap Day. Every four years, we add a day to the calendar to keep it synchronized with the seasons. If we did not add this extra day, the calendar would fall behind the "natural" calendar of the seasons by 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds every year. (Thanks, Farmer's Almanac!)

I live in a community with a sizable Muslim population. Over the years, we watched their observance of Ramadan move from February (when the days are short), backwards to July (when fasting becomes a much longer daily event).

Think how our lives would change if we had to re-order our seasonal way of thinking to "follow the sun." Whoa. . . . 

So today we get an extra gift. Twenty-four extra hours. Over the last three days, my community has been grieving the loss of young lives, now numbering three, plus the lives forever changed by a single senseless act.

But still the sun comes up today. Still God is on the throne.

As poet Mary Oliver puts it so elegantly, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" 

Or, at the very least-- what are you going to do with this one wild and precious day?

Need some suggestions?

Call a friend. Offer to take her (or him) to lunch. 

Go to the zoo. Talk to the animals.

Call your parents. Call your children. Better yet-- if they are close enough, take them to lunch. Or dinner.

Smile. Even if you are met with a scowl in return-- keep smiling. You never know what might be the "tipping point" in a person's day.

Take a walk. It's raining here, possibly God weeping over the young lives ended too soon and with such sadness. But I have a pair of waterproof shoes, and the last time I checked, I neither melt nor shrink when I get wet. (That'd be a great way to lose weight if I did!) Dance in the rain, splash in life's puddles! This is the day the Lord has made! Rejoice!

Try a new food. My daughter will be thrilled: I bought some almond milk this morning. It's really yummy on granola.

Take a nap. And do not feel guilty.

Offer relief to a young mother.

Offer a visit, maybe even offer to read to a seasoned member in your neighborhood. 

Schedule a day to volunteer. You know what you like to do; follow your heart.

Spend some time with God. He's waiting and wondering when you might find time to seek him again. Maybe that is why we have this extra day tucked neatly, this year, right in the midst of Lent. 

Live. Laugh. Love. Listen.

If all else fails-- relax. Just be. 

The world is hurrying by, not even realizing, perhaps, that there is anything special about today (apart from the sales). But ask my friend Kristi, who was born on Leap Day. It's not every year she gets to celebrate-- on her birthday! 

Rejoice. Be glad!

Wonderful loving God, thank you for surprises, for extra gifts of chronos time. Help us to step back, slow down, open wide-- and drink in the offerings of this day and every day lived in communion with you. Amen.