How to Spend an Extra Day

Recently, I was pleasantly surprised to discover I was wearing my lucky pants. I do not have that many pants in my wardrobe and to discover I had put on my lucky pants really made my day.

I have three kinds of pants in my wardrobe. Pants I wear for Sunday and special occasions, pants I wear every day and of course, my lucky pants. Occasionally, I put on the wrong pair of pants but what were the odds of me putting on my lucky pants this particular day?

Anytime I find extra money in my pants pocket, it is a lucky time.

It was about midmorning when I discovered my good fortune. I happened to put my hand in my pants pocket and discovered a coin. I pulled it out and what to my surprise it was a one-dollar coin. I cannot tell you the joy that brought to me.

Do you really know how much a dollar is?

It is a down payment on a Dunkin Donuts donut. I do not have to tell you what that means. Just think, if I had four such coins, I could treat myself to a donut. Just thinking about that possibility created a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside my heart.

Of course, if it was Sunday and I was in church I could put it in the offering plate and think I really contributed to the ongoing work of the church.

Outside of that, I'm not sure what else I could do with one-dollar coin.

The best I can think of is to keep it in my pants pocket and consider it my "lucky coin." Of course, I do not believe in luck, but what else can you do with a one-dollar coin?

Now, if I could find an extra day that would really be lucky.

Just think of what a person could do if they discovered they had an extra day on their hands?

I was sharing my thoughts with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage when she introduced me to a very astounding fact.

We were nonchalantly talking about this around the dinner table when she casually remarked, "We do have an extra day this year."

At first, I did not know what she was talking about. I thought perhaps in her wisdom she had scheduled a day where we would not have anything to do. A day we could probably take off and just enjoy ourselves. In my thinking, I was hoping she had saved a little bit of cash to make the day a little more profitable.

"What day did you have in mind?" I queried.

"February 29th," she said rather matter-of-factly.

I begin to say something then I stopped cold in my tracks. Searching my mind the best I could figure on such short notice was February only had 28 days. I smiled to myself. Finally, I had one on the old girl. I grant you this is a rare occasion in our home but when it comes, being the “hot-dog” I am, I like to relish it.

"So," I began with all the confidence I could muster at the time, "what do you have planned for February the 29th?" And I really emphasized the 29th. I just wanted her to know that there was no such thing as 29 days in the month of February. Anybody with as much education as I have knows this sort of information.

She looked at me rather strangely, more strangely than usual, and said, "I don't have anything planned for February the 29th." And she emphasized the word 29th in a way that rather irritated me. I had the feeling she was mocking me but I could not put my finger on it.

"Then why did you bring it up?"

"You don't know?" She said rather sarcastically, if you ask me.

Now I was frantically searching my mind. For some reason February 29, which everybody knows does not exist, was something special in her mind. I was starting to believe the cogs were beginning to slip upstairs in her mind. I wanted to be careful what I said next because in her fragile state of mind one wrong word from me could be the end. And what a sorry end it would be.

Looking at me rather coolly, she said, "You do know this is leap year, don't you?"

"So, you want to go dancing on February the 29th?" I said more confused than I have ever been in my life. Why this sudden interest in dancing, especially on a day that everybody knows does not exist?

If looks could kill, there would be a nice obituary in today's newspaper about Yours Truly.

Then she explained to me what leap year was all about. How I forgot this little bit of information I cannot tell. Every four years is called "leap year," meaning that there is an extra day in the year. Since February is the shortest month of the year, the honors go to February.

I now have an extra day this year to figure out how to stay out of the doghouse for the rest of the year.

In the Bible, every day is a special day. David the Psalmist, acknowledged this truth, "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalms 118:24 KJV).

This kind of Scripture gives me an extra leap of joy and there is no luck needed.

Copyright, Rev. James L. Snyder
Used With Permission
For reprint permission, contact the author through his site at:
http://www.realezsites.com/bus/godspenman

Dr. James L. Snyder, is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife in Silver Springs Shores. James is an award winning author whose books are available at https://amzn.to/2SMOjwO.

Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail [email protected]. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.

Hello everyone!

Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail [email protected]. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.

Hello everyone!