“Welcome to my morning, welcome to my day. I’m the one responsible I made it just this way. To make myself some pictures and see what they might bring. I think I made it perfectly I wouldn’t change a thing.” Lyrics from the John Denver song “Farewell Andromeda (1973)”
The past week here at the Jersey Shore has brought some of the nicest weather we’ve enjoyed this fall, with beautiful sunshine and unusually pleasant mornings. As I took Callie for a morning stroll along the beach this weekend, I couldn’t help but think of my favorite John Denver song, “Farewell Andromeda” and the song my daughter picked for us to dance to at her wedding.
But on Saturday, there Callie and I were on the beach — two aging septuagenarians enjoying the sunshine, the sound of the ocean waves, and the simple blessing of being together.
The song opens with that beautiful phrase, “Welcome to my morning, welcome to my day …” and as I looked at the photograph of Callie and me enjoying that morning together, another line from the song seemed to capture the moment perfectly: “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate something our dogs seem to understand instinctively: happiness isn’t always about having more, doing more, or becoming more. Sometimes it’s simply recognizing that what we already have is more than enough.
Our dogs don’t worry about yesterday’s disappointments or the uncertainties tomorrow may bring and Callie doesn’t measure the value of her day by how much she has accomplished. Instead, she finds great joy in the simplest of things: the familiar faces of family and friends, a walk or swim at the beach, a gentle pat on her head, or simply lying beside me on the floor as we watch television.
Perhaps there’s a lesson for me and for all of us. After all, life isn’t always as beautiful as the sunrise was in that special moment we had together on Saturday. We all experience loss, disappointment, uncertainty, and moments when the road ahead seems anything but clear.
But Ignatian spirituality has taught me to look for God in all things, including the seemingly ordinary moments that too often I take for granted. And on this Saturday morning, I didn’t have to look very far.
I found Him in the sunrise, the ocean breeze, in the companionship of a faithful friend like Callie, and His gift to both of us of being able to spend another great day together.
As Psalm 118:24 reminds us: “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.” Not because everything in life is perfect, but because every now and then, God gives us a moment that is perfect just as it is.
So How About You?
When was the last time you experienced one of those simple moments of joy or contentment when you could say, in John Denver’s words, “I wouldn’t change a thing”?
And what might change in our daily lives if we began each morning thinking less about everything we need to accomplish and more about everything we’ve already been given?
Wishing my clients, fellow coaches, colleagues, and friends the gift of God’s abundant blessings,
Dr. K 🙏🏼❤️😎
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