I was having one of those days. You know the kind that starts off with you waking up feeling already behind and then only seems to get worse. Nothing I did was going well for me, and I have to admit, I had started to get a bad attitude about it all. By the end of the day, I did what I often do when days like this come along. I told Eric I needed to go for a drive.

Driving is my favorite go-to for when all else seems to be going wrong. With our life of full-time caregiving, I’ve learned that this simple practice has brought me a whole lot of joy over the years. Often, I’m not driving alone. If you have read my previous blogs you know it’s also frequently the place I go to when I can’t be alone, but I need to get out and get a new perspective on life just the same. Most often, Abbey sits behind me in the back seat watching a movie, while I drive to wherever I can see some of God’s beautiful creation, and where I can head to the nearest drive thru of one of my favorite coffee shops.

On this particular day, I talked Eric into coming along with us, so we could catch up as I drove. That day we stopped off at a local park that we love which has a big red barn and is surrounded by horse trails, open fields, and a stream with a bridge. It’s a little slice of heaven for this country girl at heart. As a matter of fact, having grown up on the “Little House on the Prairie” books, I have a particular soft spot for this place, because it’s named Walnut Grove Park. We walked around the trail and caught up on all the day’s events, with Abbey happily listening and commenting from her adaptive stroller and Sadie our service dog contentedly walking beside.

Once finished with our walk we loaded ourselves into our minivan. My soul felt a little more settled and I had gained some mental space and perspective on the day I had just had. I looked over at Eric and he laughed and said, “You wanna get some take out and a coffee?”. I love that after 25 years of marriage we know each other so well. It’s almost as if he can read my mind at times – though after 25 years of marriage I also know that this is not something to be expected. Still my guy knows me well and I feel so blessed.

So off we went over the hill to the local coffee shop. As we sat there in the line waiting for our turn, our puppy began to get antsy for what she has learned might come next – a pup cup. These are those amazing little disposable cup creations filled with delicious overflowing whipped cream sometimes topped with a dog biscuit or cookie. She loves the stuff! So now of course every time we go, she expects like one of Pavlov’s dogs, that this might be the logical conclusion to our visit with the person in the window of the coffee shop drive thru. On this day we decided she was in for a treat, and she knew it. She couldn’t help but lick her salivating lips when she heard us say the words “pup cup”, and she reached over from the back seat and rested her chin on our shoulders in an act she knows we call a hug. It was so adorable.

But even more adorable than this was the chatter we kept hearing from the back seat. It was Abbey telling us all about her day. Where she had gone. Who she had seen. What she had done. And of course, what her wishes were for dinner. When we approached the window, she struck up a conversation with the lady in charge of dispensing our drinks.

“Hi!” she exclaimed.

Quickly followed by an exuberant, “How was your day?”.

Next followed by her order, “Ice water and Carmel Macchiato please”. This had us laughing out loud. I don’t think we’d ever heard her say such a hard-to-pronounce-even-for-grown-ups word. She had clearly been paying attention and had learned to say her mom’s favorite drink order. A proud moment indeed.

Finally, to cap off the conversation as we drove away with our pup cup, ice water, and Carmel Macchiato in hand, out of Abbey’s mouth came the culminating caption. One single sentence said with all the good manners our daughter could muster, “Have a good day, Lady!”

Now we were doubled over laughing in our seats. She was so sweet in her sentiment, yet so hilariously blunt in her delivery. I love my girl! She may as well have directed her comment to my heart that day. Once again what a beautiful reminder for how to have perspective in this life. Even in the mess we can find a message. Even in the pain we can find purpose. And even in the hard we can find hope. Life is full of little moments like these to celebrate and bring light into our lives and other’s. I’m so thankful for my daughter’s simple reminder.