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A blessing for the day when nothing goes right

To help you through a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

I see you. I see you with your coffee stain down the front of your shirt, the cowlick in your hair that stubbornly refuses to be tamed.

I see you with the zipper on your bag that chose today of all days to break and spill the contents of your bag across the damp parking lot.

I see you running down the hall, sweatily trying to make it to the meeting on time, praying for the elevator to be in your favour for once.

I see you on the day that every pen in your pocket runs dry.

I see you on the day the cafeteria ran out of food, and shut down before your late lunch hour finally arrived. I see you eating that squashed power bar you found at the bottom of your bag: protectively hunched in the corner, feeling anything but powerful as you will yourself to swallow a dry mouthful.

I see you trying to make a meal out of crumbs.

Blessed are you who knows that every day won’t be like this. Blessed are you who can remember that you’ve had good days before this, and that good days will come afterwards.

Blessed are you who can honestly say that this day is not a great one— no need to perjure yourself to pretend it’s a deeply delightful day to live through.

Blessed are you who can lift your head up— away from that flat energy bar that’s leaving crumbs all over your pants— and look towards a better day.

The comfort of this evening.

A shower to wash away the detritus of this day.

The fresh start of tomorrow.

Blessed are you who can accept this crummy moment and remember there is good still to come.

The Branch: Blessings and Benedictions is a Substack newsletter filled with quiet moments of encouragement for your soul. If you’d like to receive a little dose of hope in your inbox, consider becoming a subscriber.