Choir Notes

A Wonderful Day Like Today

From Music and the Spoken Word

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell • Program 4319

"Finish each day and be done with it,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. "You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely.”1

Emerson reminds us that each new day is a gift, a new beginning, a fresh start. And each new day, whether sunny or snowy, overcast or clear, is a chance to commence the journey of life. Yes, at times that journey seems all uphill—such journeys are best approached one day at a time. And as we do, a new day can turn into a new week, a new year, a new life.

Remember the wisdom of a woman who raised a large family and weathered so many of life’s storms so well. She simply said, "Wait until the morning to make important decisions. Don’t make them at night.” Why? Because a new day can cast encouraging light on yesterday’s troubles. We can start the day with a positive outlook, summon some inner strength, and exercise faith in God and in greater purposes, and our hope will be renewed and we will see opportunities before us.

Consider the optimistic words from a Broadway musical of decades ago:

On a wonderful day like today,

I defy any cloud to appear in the sky

Dare any rain drop to plop in my eye,

On a wonderful day like today.2 

We may not always see the sunshine right away. Some days start out cloudy and seem to only get darker. But if we can look forward with some hope and a bit of confidence, then each day can be a wonderful day.

So look for the sunshine. Watch for the wonder. Try to make each day the kind of day you want to remember.

1 In Norman Vincent Peale, The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking (1959), 88. 2. Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, "The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd” (1964).