I woke up this morning with a smile on my face and a sense of gratitude for this life I get to live. I didn’t get much sleep Sunday night, so I struggled to stay focused and awake all of Monday. It’s a new day and I’m a testament that you can be in the midst of uncertainty and anxiety and still be grateful. As I do daily, I woke up this morning and prayed. I’m sharing the morning prayer that I love the most.

Sometimes my prayers are super short. Sometimes my prayers are for specific people. Sometimes my prayers are of thankfulness. Sometimes I ask God for specific things. Sometimes I cite and meditate on prayers from a specific book of prayers my husband bought me many years ago, while we were dating. I knew he was special when he brought me this gift.

Lately, I’ve been immensely worried about my son, Caleb. I know all the logical and spiritual reasons why worry isn’t helpful, but I haven’t gotten to a place yet where I don’t do it. I’m human. I hate that I worry. However, I’ve been making peace with the thought that if things don’t turn out my way, they’ll still be ok. God has a way of letting you know He will take care of things. You’ve got to listen.

At the end of the day, I have a good kid who has some work to do with finding himself. He’s a late bloomer. I will guide him as best as I can, but when I worked in direct practice at an outpatient mental health clinic, I’ve told many clients in the past that I can’t do more than them. Now that Caleb is 18 years old, I’m working on adopting this same philosophy. Of course, you do everything for your babies, toddlers, and children, but as they get older, the parenting dynamic changes. Parents need to adjust. I need to move into a coach and consultant role.

I’m so grateful that it’s a new day…a new day for me to not be so hard on myself like I was yesterday. A new day for me to make a positive impact on somebody’s life. A new day for me to nurture my kids. A new day for me to be a loving wife. A new day for me to be a fair boss. A new day for me to share my gifts. A new day for me to be better than before. A new day for God’s light to shine through me.