Good morning…

Howdy. I’m sitting at my kitchen table and sipping on my first cup of coffee. My wife, Chassidy and I have walked Casanova and Chunk this morning. Both dogs play underneath my feet as I write this. Play is the wrong word. Act out rambunctiously is a more apt description. Chunk’s bigger than Casanova, so naturally he thinks he’s the boss of this kingdom.

Never mind the fact that Casanova lived here first and knows all the hiding places. Or the fact that Chassidy and I have been wed for two months, and I just moved in here. Chunk doesn’t care. ‘I’m the biggest, the baddest, and I claim all the lands as my own,’ seems to sum up Chunk’s attitude.

These two animals are as different as night is from day. Casanova loves to play with his toys, his favorite being a bright yellow banana with an enduring squeaker. Chunk couldn’t care less. He watches as I toss the banana into the living room, and Casanova rushes off to catch it. Chunk rather have a belly rub and call it a day.

As I play with my pups, I think about the road I took to reach this place of happiness. It wasn’t an easy journey, but it’s proven to be well worth the cost. There have been days where I didn’t think the sun would shine again. Years, where I loathed my existence, but at the end of every storm is tranquility.

I don’t know why I’m writing this, but here we go: My church has prayer meeting every Monday night. Last night was our annual business meeting. My wife needed to be there early to gather up the essential documentation, so I walked around the sanctuary quietly praying to myself. Above the baptistry hangs our church emblem. A green light softly emitted from it, and I watched as the corpseglare played out on the wall.

“You know, corpseglare is only light that lingers in the darkness. The darker it gets, the brighter it glows.”

Our world could use some light. Everywhere we turn nowadays, it seems that bad news is the only news. Well, I’ve decided to not add darkness to an already inky black world. Instead, I choose to be a light to someone else, and I hope that you find some piece of encouragement in the words I write here this morning.

Whatever goals you have set for yourself, I pray you accomplish it. If you’re struggling with self-doubt, anxiety, or depression, I hope this provides a ray of light in the darkness. For I too, once traveled a dark road, but at my lowest point, one person showed me kindness and helped me on my way.

You can do this. My mom often repeated this phrase to me: Son, every day isn’t a bad day. Come to find out, my mom’s quite the wise woman. Give it another go, and if today seems hopeless, give it another go tomorrow.

Take care,

Freeman