Excerpt from:

Women's Voices of the 21st Century: Experiences That Shape Women  

                             ONLY DAY

Today is the only day

I will inhale the fragrance

               of cinnamon spice coffee

from this cup,

feel my partner’s soft kiss

on my cheek, have the sun glisten

at this specific angle off the pots and pans

in the sink beneath my hands,

watch a frog pirouette

in the puddle at the edge of the lawn.

Though my day’s schedule is full

and everything around me seems routine─

I understand this day will never exist again;

not exactly this way.

This instant is the only one to live;

this exact moment

is when we get to love one another.

We bless the world with what we have

when we give

when we savor

when we treasure “only” days

when we are present fully.

Yesterday is gone.

Tomorrow is a chance.

God has brought us this far

so we can treasure this day─

just this day.

      What will we do with such a stunning gift?