Happy Bonus Day! Celebrate Life with Big Love

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I’m not normally a stubborn person. Really. I’m not.

But when the nurse stuck her head in pre-op and told me it was time to leave I didn’t budge. Thankfully, the lovely woman shaving Rev’s chest agreed—her affirmation helped me stay by his side a little longer.

A little later the kids told me a nurse had come to see them in the waiting room to tell them that the staff was having trouble getting me to leave their dad. They said they’d laughed . . . like there was something they would be able to do about it!

So maybe I am a little more stubborn than I want to admit. But his surgery had been delayed by a couple of hours, he hadn’t received any pre-op meds, and we’d been told these might be our last moments together. I was just stubborn enough to make sure I cherished every one.

That was September 20, 2007 . . . 3,081 days ago.

Days we call – bonus days. Days we were told we most likely wouldn’t get…

If you’re a regular reader you’ve heard about bonus days before. You’ve heard that I regularly tell Rev, “Thanks for livin’!” He then thanks me for “helping him live.” And together we thank God for every precious bonus day.

Today is your bonus day, too.

An extra 24 hours added once every four years.

How will you spend them?

All month we’ve chatted about love. I can’t think of a better way to end the month than to celebrate with a bonus day.

God’s gift—another day of life with opportunities to love. 

Solomon wrote:

 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. Ecclesiastes 5:18–19

And:

Don’t let love and truth ever leave you. Tie them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and a good name in the eyes of God and people. Proverbs 3:3–4

Paul wrote:

Do everything with love. 1 Corinthians 16:13–14

How will you spend today? This “bonus” day?

Who needs to hear, “Thanks for livin’!” or “Thanks for being mine!” “I’m so glad you are my husband/wife, son/daughter, mother/father, friend, neighbor, etc.” from you?

[Tweet “Who needs to hear you say, “I love you. I’m glad God gave me this day with you.”?”]

Each day is a gift to celebrate.

It’s so easy to get caught up in our normal routine isn’t it? I remember the drive to the hospital that September morning. We looked around and saw people driving to or from . . . following normal paths and schedules repeated daily. But our day was anything but normal.

You’ve heard the old saying, “Today is the beginning of the rest of your life.”

And it’s true . . . but something else is also true. For some today is their last day in this place and time.

[Tweet “Don’t let today slip by in routine, in everyday normal, in the ordinary that goes unnoticed.”]

Celebrate.

Celebrate life. Celebrate love. Celebrate every bonus day.

Not just February 29th, but every new day. An amazing gift of life and love from a Father who loves you more than you can imagine or understand.

Quotes

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.” ~Arnold Bennett

“Each day is filled with promise, potential, and possibility.” ~Tony Curl

“Like a gift, beautifully wrapped at the foot of your bed each morning, today asks that you open it and enjoy everything inside. Exhaust yourself with all it has to offer!” ~Steve Maraboli

“The miraculous wonder of this blessed day is beyond my comprehension.” ~Lailah Gifty Akita

“This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind…let it be something good.” ~Author Unknown

Celebrate today and every day. Cherish bonus days! They are precious gifts from God! 

Live them for His glory and love big. 

How do you celebrate the people you love?

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