SEVEN FOR YOU ◽ TIPS
Today's Three
Our Panel of Women
We are told to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” but that’s a hard thing to do…and not spend most of our prayer praying about yesterday or tomorrow. Sometimes, it takes looking at today and observing at least three things about this day that stood out, and why. We asked our panel to share, and their answers are great. Try it yourself!
What are three things you’ve noticed just this day?
Today a friend texted me to check on me because when she saw me at church yesterday, I was struggling and tearful. It’s nice to have friends who will take time out of their day to check on you!
I work part-time at Chick-fil-A. I love all people, but the children and babies especially delight me. One baby I saw today was so shy that she would not look at me for more than five seconds. By the time she left, I was playing peekaboo with her and getting the sweetest grins.
And at the end of a shift, when I’ve walked miles and get home to my family, and I’m tired and worn out, I have a husband and two sons who are happy to see me, take my belongings from my arms, send me to the chair, get me a pillow to support my back, hook up my foot massager machine, and set my water beside me. They want to be near me and tell me about their day. That’s incredibly special, and I do not take it for granted. – Laura
Sometimes it's hard to stop and notice what is happening now because I'm busy thinking about the future, whether it's this afternoon, tomorrow, or next week. The goodness of God (every good thing comes from him!) can go unnoticed so easily, so it was a good exercise to intentionally pay attention.
Three things that stood out to me in a 24 hour period were: time in the garden, a visit with a friend, cleaning out a closet. I love spending time outside and enjoyed watering my patio plants using rainwater I've collected--I'm thankful I still have a little left.
Then, I spent some time visiting a new friend who has a nursing background. She gave me some good advice about seeing an orthopedic doctor about my hurting knee.
In the afternoon, I took some time to go through my linen closet and get rid of some items I'm not using. I found an old lace curtain I kept and was going to try to sell on Marketplace, but when I hung it up to take a picture, I liked it so much, I decided to keep it! - Dina
Tucked inside the last twenty-four hours are a few things I’d add to the highlight reel.
An afternoon stroll through the milkweed filled garden captured the moment a Monarch paused to lay an egg. After she flew off, I peeked under the leaf to find the tiny white egg. Now we await the caterpillar’s arrival!
Then as the sun began to set, I welcomed the first page of a brand-new book to discover it is beautifully written (I’ve been in a reading slump lately with poorly written books). I can’t wait to devour every word.
Finally, it was time to let the dogs out and we were greeted with the sweet fragrance of the gigantic white moonflowers blooming towards the evening sky. The scent is intoxicating. - Jennifer
I've been ill for over two months with what turned out to be Salmonella. I had a particularly bad case of the virus. None of my doctors tested me for it or Cyclospora. I lost 18 pounds and was very weak. I prayed for relief, to find a doctor who would figure out what was wrong with me. I finally found a doctor who tested me, got the answer, and put me on the right antibiotic. My daughter Alex was coming home from London to visit, and I prayed I would be well enough to enjoy my time with her.
I recovered just in time but am still weak. My daughter knew that I needed to get out and walk to regain my strength, and so out we went today. We went on a short walk, then an hour later, another walk, and finally a third one. We talked and laughed, and before I knew it, we had walked two miles. Our last walk was in the parking garage next door to me to get out of the sun. It's part of a business park, and it's always 90% empty. We talked about the waste of it, the concrete block of it so close to residential areas, and how it ruined the neighborhood feel. For some reason, Alex was fixated on the "why" of it. This was the first thing that stood out today...the walks, the talks, and the laughter. I really needed her visit, more than I realized.
The second thing we noticed on our walks was the resting places of about 10 large bucks. They are often over in the woods in front of me, but they have two "homes," one by me and another one street over. The deer seem to have certain patterns and habits, and we wondered what drives them to change locations. It's always at the same time every day. We love the deer and have adopted them as our neighbors.
The third thing was that Alex left today to spend a week with her dad, and I immediately felt lonely, and the condo felt too quiet. She'll be back next Sunday, but that empty-nest sadness was back. I promised to keep walking and to regain my strength. Sometimes, the child becomes the parent, the role model, and the encourager. – Cathy
If I had to choose three things that stood out from my recent days, they would be a movie night, breakfast with friends, and finally opening a book that had been sitting untouched for some time.
The first was a movie night at home with my husband and son. Most evenings, after everything else is done, I end up working. There is always something waiting for me, and it is easy to convince myself I’ll stop after just one more thing. But that night, I didn’t. We watched a movie together, and it was so nice being on the couch with my two favorite people, nowhere else I needed to be and not worrying about my work in the back of my mind.
Another day, I had breakfast at a new spot in town with some mom friends after school drop-off to celebrate the start of another school year. We talked about all the things women tend to talk about when we finally have time to sit down together like motherhood, our health, perimenopause ha!, our kids, getting older, and life in general. I left feeling grateful for women you can be honest with, laugh with, learn from, and say, “me too.”
And finally, I started a new book. That probably sounds like the smallest of the three, but I had been wanting to read it since the beginning of the year. It's called Break the Cycle. Somehow there was never enough time, or I never made the time. Sitting down and finally turning those first few pages felt like getting back a tiny piece of myself as I have always loved to read.
There was time for my family, time for friendship, and time for me. - Christina
In the past 24 hours, if I had to focus on three things that stood out, they would be an experience, a conversation, and a movie.
I went with my daughter-in-law to a sale at a huge venue, Le Garage, and we shopped. (pictured at top of page) We rarely get to shop together, and we both love fashion, so we got to spend a couple hours finding amazing deals that made us both squeal with delight. This fed my soul.
I got to visit with almost 4 year old Camp as he held my hand at a restaurant, and then we found "unusual things" as we looked around. That's an activity he loves to do, often. His wonder and funniness make me feel warm inside, and loved. And then we told jokes. Ones we just made up. The best.
At the end of the day, I saw a romantic comedy on the big screen and I escaped, I smiled at the premise, and my heart was warmed at the conclusion. A win. It's called Finding Emily. – Marcy
The day I’m talking about was yesterday which happened to be a Sunday. It started with Sunday school. My husband and I are in a small class but that allows for so much open discussion. We’re in the book of Ruth and the law back in biblical days was very different from our laws today. It makes me feel so blessed to live now instead of before Jesus was born.
Another thing happened at lunchtime. We went to our favorite restaurant, Applebee’s. And we had the same waiter that we had the last time we were there. He’s the nicest young man and he remembered us just as much as we remembered him. We visited a little and he made our lunch even more pleasant.
And the last thing that made my day special happened after nap time. We always have an extra restful afternoon on Sundays. But after I got up from my nap, I continued with a Christmas craft I’ve been working on. I know it’s too early to be making this, but I don’t like to put things off. This way I still have time to change it or add something if I want to. And I finished it! I was so excited. All of this made for a very blessed day!
I have found in my older years that even though things are different now and change in many ways, each day IS a day from the Lord. Like the song says, “This is the day that the Lord has made…” – Carole
A Reflective Sunday
Sunday was a few days ago, my day of rest. I try not to think about publishing work or the business of writing. Three activities that helped me have a reflective day include:
1. Good Teaching – A sermon from Joyce Meyer about the value of peace.
Insightful, and I took a lot of notes. Still digesting the teaching a day later.
2. Finished a good book – I’ve been reading Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, a story about two families tangled together in secrets set in the late 1970s. It was heartwarming and had great characters whose growth through the decades kept me attached. I laughed and tried not to cry. I loved the nostalgic glimpses of life in the 1970s.
Though I’m a Christian fiction writer, I don’t read Christian novels exclusively because a writing instructor told me to read as = many genres of fiction as possible, and since this novel was hailed as one of the best of 2026, I gave it a read. I’m glad I did. It was excellent (and pretty clean). I’m interested in reading more novels from this author. She has a touching way of fleshing out family relationships. It made me reflect on my own family and realize we all deal with the same issues but cope in different ways.
3. Watched a good movie – Hubby and I re-watched On Golden Pond. I haven’t seen that movie since it came out in 1981, when I was thirteen, the same age as the young boy in the film who is left with the elderly couple for a month. Watching the generational angst now, as a person in her fifties with octogenarian parents, has given me a new perspective on aging and its effects on the family dynamic. – Angela