There are days you look forward to. They are marked on calendars; they are circled in red. They are planned in advance, dreamed of, and anxiously awaited. There are due dates, wedding days, and birthday party days. There are graduation and retirement days. In some cases elaborate invitations are sent and there is an expectation of greatness to come.

Then there are days of unexpected greatness. They show up unannounced. They have no fan fare. No red circles, no notice at all. In fact, if you aren’t aware that they are possible, that they can happen in an instant, you might even miss them.

Sunday was a day of Unexpected Greatness.  It was a perfect day.  Not because of any special plans, or visits, not because of any particular event.  It was one of those days where plans were changed and remade on the fly and it all just worked out.  Late night rains on Saturday called off softball games that would have otherwise had us scrambling to the fields.  Jeff’s work schedule having been cleared for softball meant we were all going be home together with no plans.

We four Hebards stayed lazy a bit longer than usual.  We rolled out of our beds late and had a pancake & egg breakfast fresh off Dad’s new birthday griddle.  We pedaled bikes to the park and no one crashed into poles or parked cars, no one fell or was injured in any way.  We followed the smooth cement path winding thru the shade along the trees and around the duck lake and no one was impatient or rude.  We enjoyed the serendipitous break in the storm and the sunshine it brought, no one complained about the Goldilocks weather one bit. It wasn’t too hot, it wasn’t too cold, it was just right. When we got home Ollie played hide & seek with the neighbors while Jeff, Ethan and I discussed music and the merits of various genres and artists, we didn’t argue once. Later we went to Fry’s Electronics and everyone got something needed or wanted, more computer memory, a juicer, and some Legos. We wandered the aisles, losing & finding each other again and again showing off silly gadgets or clever As Seen On TV gimmicks. When dinner rolled around I tried a new recipe and the whole gang enjoyed it. Clean plates for all!

Maybe I’m getting old? Maybe I am finally getting “It”? In my time on this blue rock I have had plenty of those red calendar days. I have had plenty of the Instagram post worthy, hash tag frenzied days. I have seen those come and go. While they were epic and fantastic and while I do expect that I will see a few more of those before I return to star dust if I could whisper a wish to God I would pray for more of these days. These quiet, love filled, family days. These days that could so easily have not been possible. These days are gifts of grace bestowed on the fallen. These days are too few and far between, these days of unexpected greatness.