Today is my 44th wedding anniversary. We had been married for almost 41 years when Chief died. We used to laugh, talking about celebrating our 50th anniversary. I was 25 and he was 46 when we married. His birthday was the next day, my birthday six days later. He’d be 95 and I’d be 74 on our 50th anniversary. He probably would have lived to see that 50th anniversary if Covid had not struck him down. Gone four years and I still miss him so.

Today is so beautiful, the morning cool and clear, the sky cloudless and sunshiny. I watched my grandsons motoring off to school in their red golf cart, their legs tucked tightly under a blanket, keeping the cold at bay. Peachtree City is full of multi-use paths for golf cart drivers. I love seeing all the teenagers happily driving around on the little paths. Hard to believe my oldest grandson is 15 years old. Times just flies as I get older.

I saw a chubby robin in the backyard here this morning, dressed in his brick-red vest, his chubby white belly poking out from his vest, the first herald of spring, singing earliest at dawn. Haven’t seen a robin yet in my yard in Roanoke. Native Americans viewed robins as symbols of growth and renewal, harbingers of the season of Spring. Other cultures see robins as messengers from God, guardian spirits offering safety and guidance. Folklore tells of robins comforting Jesus during the crucifixion, removing briars in Jesus’ crown of thorns.

Ran across this quote today in my reading, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning,” Albert Einstein. Yesterday is gone and we can’t get it back. We should focus on the day at hand, making the most of the new day God has blessed us with, not dwelling on the past. What we accomplish today will shape our tomorrow. Doing our best sets us up for success.

“Don’t live your life regretting yesterday. Live your life so tomorrow you won’t regret today,” Catherine Pulsifer. It is so hard to let our yesterdays be forgotten. We learn from our past mistakes and missed opportunities and from our achievements, too. These things shape us and mold our persona.

Einstein says we should never stop asking questions. I’m notorious for asking my children questions, specially about technology, trying their patience. My children tell me I ask too many questions and I always tell them you have to ask questions if you don’t know the answer. Asking questions cranks up our critical thinking and helps us analyze information. I’m asking and answering questions all day long on my iPad.

We all ask God “Why” on our darkest days, ranting and raving, calling out to God, looking for a reason for our heartaches. 1 Peter 5:7 reads, “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”

God listens with grace but sometimes we wait for the answer, wait for a reason for the storm that entered our life. We wait for affirmation from God, for the strength to hold on, for the hope of a better tomorrow. Many of us ask why as a way of seeking meaning and purpose in life.

If we seek answers from God we need to focus on our faith and humility and seek not just answers but understanding. Sometimes the answers to our prayers may be beyond our comprehension, teaching us to trust in God’s wisdom and love. Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

“If you lose faith, you lose all.” — Eleanor Roosevelt