Support the Café Search our Site A Good Day A Good Day November 30, 2021 Kimberly Knowle-Zeller On top of my dresser between pictures of the kids, chapstick and earrings, a small rectangular book sits with a colored pen next to it. The book’s location and the words on the cover – One Line A Day – remind me to stop and pause each night. For six years I’ve been coming to this dresser, pen in hand, to write about my days in only a few lines. Tonight is no different than every other night. With the sound of the kids’ noise machine humming through my room, I check the monitor one final time. Charlotte’s scrunched close to the wall. I have a hard time finding Isaac sleeping between stuffed animals and blankets, but one hand with his fingers curled lies atop his head. Shutting my bedroom door, I make my way to the shower. Hot water pounding my body is a luxury after a full day. For these few moments no one demands my attention and I bask in that knowledge. Once I’m showered, dried, and cozy in my pajamas I grab the purple pen and start writing. I only have a few lines to tell about my day and what we all did: the food we ate, the places we visited, the times of reading books on the couch, playtime at the park, and our walks around town. I first heard about the one line a day journal from Tsh Oxenreider’s Simple podcast. She shared about her recent purchase and commented that by the time she finished the five years her daughter would be a senior in high school. Five years didn’t seem to be so long after all. When Charlotte was two, I started my own five year journal as a new way to mark and honor the days. At the time our life was filled with playdates with friends, naps, books, and church. A few weeks into writing I found out I was pregnant again. And from then on, the journal became a time capsule of our family of four, the simple and beautiful and hard stories of our lives, captured in a few lines each night. In our town we have recurring events every year. Now six years in I can flip back to a day and see how we experienced our town’s fair and Christmas market and opening of the pool. In a way, it seems like not much has changed when I flip through the years. We live in the same town with the same people and worship at the same church. Yet, each line represents the growth and experiences that are transforming and enriching our lives. When I write about the kids playing at the playground I can see their growth by their willingness to slide down the slide or climb across the monkey bars. Our times with books on the couch are changing too as Charlotte takes her turn reading to us. Our memories in the kitchen not only include the food and baked goods we’ve made but the times the kids have helped mix, pour, and bake for others. Each night I write about our days and in the writing and remembering I realize I’m praying. Prayers of gratitude for wet kisses and small hands, reciting the alphabet and hearing stories come to life, walks around town and phone calls with family and friends. Prayers of being fed and feeding others, fresh baked bread and home made meals shared, laughter and meltdowns around the table. Each day a gift. When I read through the days turning into years, I see one word more often than others: good. After all the long nights feeding the baby, the meltdowns over what clothes the toddler would wear, the endless pile of dishes, the worry about a family member’s recent diagnosis, the food to be cooked, the distractions, the constant busyness, and the coordinating of schedules, the days are good. Because as night comes and I’m ready for bed, the words come naturally. A good day. I lived. I loved. I prayed. I played. I wrote. I read. I messed up. I asked for forgiveness. I stumbled. I forgave. I yelled. I lost my patience. I rested. That’s the beauty of my Five-Year Journal. Writing every night allows me to take a few moments to see my days as they really are – beautiful, hard, hopeful, sad, and joyful. Every night I come to the dresser and open my journal and am able to see the day for what it is – a gift to experience in this one, precious and fleeting life. This post originally appeared on the author’s website. Kimberly Knowle-Zeller is an ordained ELCA pastor, mother of two, and spouse of an ELCA pastor. She lives with her family in Cole Camp, MO. You can read more at her website, follow her work on Facebook, or sign up for her monthly newsletter. Café Comments? Our comment policy requires that you use your real first and last names and provide an email address (your email will not be published). Comments that use non-PG rated language, include personal attacks, that are not provable as fact or that we deem in any way to be counter to our mission of fostering respectful dialogue will not be posted. 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Learn how your comment data is processed. 1 COMMENT Newest Gretchen Pritchard November 30, 2021 12:39 pm Why is the illustration a photo of a page in a ledger book in the Cyrillic alphabet???!! 0 0 Reply Support the Café Past Posts Select Month December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 February 2011 August 2010 March 2010 September 2009 May 2009 February 2009 January 2009 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 The Episcopal Café seeks to be an independent voice, reporting and reflecting on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican tradition. 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