Just Today

August 18, 2025

Today, I’ve decided to create something fun and enjoyable—a story to delight and also nurture the heart. Sometimes the best ways to learn and grow are through stories. I hope you will find a friend in Audrey. She carries many of the same joys and struggles that all of us carry, yet she has a loving heavenly Father and a compassionate husband to help her through life.

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Audrey’s eyes fluttered open at the morning light which creeped quietly through the sheer curtains. Lately, exhaustion had taken over, and at the risk of seeming lazy, for the last few weeks, Audrey let her body naturally rise with the morning light.

Audrey lay quietly in bed as was her custom and asked for daily strength, “Lord, you know I cannot live this day without You. Please help me.” With a slight fear of the coming pain, Audrey sat up slowly and methodically. Chronic back pain was her daily trial ever since an accident in high school, yet ever since that pivotal day, God has sustained her. After facing the first hurdle of the day, Audrey carefully stood up and pulled on her cotton summer robe. As she slipped her arms into the breezy garment, she saw a soft glow of light under her bedroom door and the faint smell of coffee wafted through the same crack. “Justin must be up. Always the faithful riser,” Audrey mused of her thoughtful and diligent husband.

Audrey opened the bedroom door, hoping to give Justin a quick hug and a morning greeting before he headed into town for his daily job as a school teacher. An empty kitchen greeted Audrey along with a twinge of disappointment. Despite missing Justin, Audrey partook of Justin’s thoughtfulness by pouring herself a cup of coffee prepared by his loving hands.

Carefully Audrey carried her coffee mug over to her small writing desk in the corner of the kitchen. This writing desk was command central for Audrey, and from it radiated all of Audrey’s careful planning and administration—homeschool planning, garden planning, household upkeep, and most of all, the care of Audrey’s spiritual heart in her personal walk with God.

Somewhat bleary-eyed, Audrey clinked her mug down on the porcelain coaster and clicked on the lamp. To her joy and delight a small sheet of white paper with familiar, neat handwriting greeted her.

Dear Audrey,

I know your concerns are many these days with the care of our children and home. Just do what you can today. Leave the rest to the Lord and to another day. Remember, Mt. 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. I love you, Audrey.

Love,

Justin

Audrey noticed the neatly underlined words “morrow” and “day.” Instantly, Audrey knew Justin’s gentle way of reminding her to focus on today. Many times he had wrapped his strong arms around her when she had been in a dither and soothed her, “Just do what you can today, darling.”

Audrey smiled at her husband’s thoughtfulness, and with the same ink pen used to write her morning encouragement, Audrey began writing her daily list on another sheet of clean white paper. She pursed her lips mischievously and wondered slightly if writing out her daily list in any way contradicted Justin’s admonition. She wrote

Monday, August 21, 1950

Homeschool the children

Dust and vacuum the living room

Call Aunt Mabel

Make blueberry jam

Practice the piano for choir

Audrey looked over her list, convinced it was as simple and paired down as possible and confident that every task simply must be done today. Audrey and the children picked 2 gallons of blueberries from the family bushes on Saturday, and the berries simply had to be preserved soon. Of course, school had to be done. And of course, every good housewife whisked dust bunnies out of her home every day.

The day progressed through the usual morning routine though a little more slowly due to a busy Sunday prior. The children, Timothy, Hannah, and Estelle, settled into their lessons somewhat reluctantly. Soon school books were put away in the old repurposed Hoosier cabinet, and lunch things were pulled down from the kitchen cupboards and out from the Frigidaire. After a quick lunch of Sunday meal leftovers, Audrey and the children settled on the couch to read Mary Poppins Comes Back.

After settling the children in their various locations around the house for mandatory family quiet time, Audrey settled into her own personal time. She tried to call Aunt Mabel but to no avail. “Bother, I have such an important question that I would really like to get the answer to soon,” she thought. Sooner than Audrey would have liked, quiet time ended and then began the daily family chore time.

Audrey gave instructions to Timothy, Hannah, and Estelle for cleaning the living room, and once assured they knew their assigned duties, Audrey set to work sterilizing the jars for blueberry jam. No sooner had the water started boiling in her canning pot did she hear a squabble erupt between Timothy and Estelle. The age difference often presented challenges between those two, and the sparks often flew between the strong leader-personalities.

It's already 3:00, and I would really like to get this blueberry jam made before dinner. Knowing that tending her children’s hearts was more important than checking “make blueberry jam” off her daily list, Audrey sighed and asked the Lord to give her wisdom to counsel her children. Audrey questioned, counseled, and then prayed with her children after their rounds of asked forgiveness. Estelle wiped her red eyes and then asked, “Mommy, will you make us a pot of tea?”

Audrey paused for a second—knowing the self-denial required in making a pot of tea—and said, “Yes, let me turn off the canning pot on the stove.” By the time the impromptu tea party finished, the time was already 4:00. Disappointed that she had not made the blueberry jam, Audrey donned her apron and began her supper preparations of meatloaf and mashed potatoes while the children raced outside for fresh air.

At promptly 5:15, Justin walked in the door loaded with his briefcase and Stanley thermos.

“How was your day?” Justin asked with a twinkle in his eye.  

After a thoughtful pause, Audrey spoke, “It was a good day—one the Lord had planned. I got most of my list done but didn’t quite get to the jam or piano practice because---"

Audrey paused midsentence as the phone rang. “I wonder who could be calling at the dinner hour?” Audrey thought. Audrey picked up the receiver from the beautiful oak wall mounted telephone. “Hello, this is Audrey.”

“Oh, Audrey, dear! This is Aunt Mabel.”

“Oh, wonderful. I tried to call you today. I have an important quest---”

“Not now, dear. Save it for tomorrow. You don’t want Edna Lawlor listening in, do you?”

A distant click verified Aunt Mabel’s suspicion and encouraged Audrey to save her question.

Mabel continued, “I’m coming to help you tomorrow with the blueberry jam. I stopped by the school today to drop something off for the new principal, and a little birdie told me that you might need some help.

Oh, and Audrey, I know you love your workbooks and textbooks and books of every kind, but have the children help us tomorrow. That’s school enough for them, love. There’s time for books and there’s time for life and learning. Sorry I missed your call earlier. See you tomorrow! Well, I better get off the party line. Bye!”

Before Audrey had a chance to wish Aunt Mabel a good evening, the phone call ended. Audrey smiled and shook her head as she hung up the phone and clicked the receiver back into its home. Her brisk and practical Aunty Mabel was once an elementary school principal who knew the importance of books but who also knew the importance of life and learning from the older generation. To some Mabel seemed curt, but Audrey knew her aunt’s heart to serve others efficiently and lovingly.

After dinner, Justin said to Audrey, “Come, I’ll help the children bathe. You grace us with your beautiful piano playing while we ready for the end of day. Now you can check off blueberry jam and piano practice. It sounds like you got your list done anyways,” Justin said with a smile in his eyes.

“I guess I did accomplish my list, in the Lord’s own way and timing. I just did what I could today,” Audrey responded with a satisfied smile.

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All characters, events, and places are entirely fictional. Any similarities between real people, events, or places are purely coincidental.