Today is my dad’s 79th birthday. Dad never wanted much attention on his birthday. He always said it was “just another day”. The older I get the more I relate to that statement, but truly a birthday is not “just another day”. Birthdays are milestones, not only of another year of life gone by, but another year of accomplishments, opportunities and memories made, even if we keep them to ourselves.
Dad’s 70th birthday was a memorable one. We threw him a surprise party (had he known about the bash he would have nixed the celebration!) and looking back on the photos from that day I see the joy on his face and the faces of family and friends. They are reminders of everyone visiting, eating and enjoying the time together, glad for the opportunity to show their love for Dad. It was certainly an occasion worth noting.
How many of our days are occasions worth noting? When your day is full of chaos and stress, is it a day you’d call noteworthy? Are the days that don’t go as you planned occasions worth remembering?
Actually I’d submit that they are.
These are the days that build us up and make us who we are. Perhaps they are not days worth hanging onto past a brief time of reflection, but they are tools for teaching us about the best person we can be. And when we present each day to the Lord and ask Him to use it for His glory, He will! We may never see how much our smile made someone’s day. We may not know how much the time we took to write a quick note to a friend or listen to a stranger was noteworthy to each of them. God can and WILL use our seemingly insignificant and frustrating days for His purpose when we trust them to Him.
My dad left us four years ago and except for a note in my blog and birthday napkins at supper his birthday this year will go on without celebration. But that doesn’t mean that today is not a noteworthy day. I know God used me today to make someone’s day a little brighter. And I know He used you too…if you allowed Him.
I challenge you as I challenge myself – begin and end each day asking God to make it an occasion worth noting
— even if you never see the results.
Blessings and peace to you!
Paula
Paula Davis 
Nice post, Paula. Thinking of your dad tonight.
I need to remember this more. That every day should be treasured and acted upon that it could be my last. We never know….
Thanks Beth.
Paula, I hope you read my blog for Father’s Day, http://www.ElaineWMiller.blogspot.com. It will help you get through those difficult days when we miss our dads. So nice having you here tonight.
Thanks Elaine. I did read it and enjoyed it. We were both blessed to have great dads. Thankful that we’ll see them again some day and that our Heavenly Father is always with us. Thanks for the encouragement!