I lay in my bed, not able to stop my racing thoughts. It was a pitch black winter night outside. I heard the house creak in the high frigid winds. My pillow felt rock hard, and I was wide awake. I sighed and let a frown come over my face. I had just gone through a rough day. Nothing had worked out; I failed homework, I didn’t play very well in band, forgot things at home, and had a rough day with my family. I felt very lonely and desperately hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.

I had only one idea on what could help me, so I prayed. I prayed for what seemed like hours, even though it was only a few minutes. I told God about all of the hardships that I encountered and how I felt as they were happening. I was very comfortable talking to him in my mind, so I told things as I had really encountered them. I told him about my sadness, anger, pain, and disappointment. I told him that I would do my best to be a great person if he would give me his grace to help me have a better day tomorrow.

The next day was something of a miracle. I woke up feeling excellent. I was extremely comfortable that I would do great throughout the day. After I came home, I was ecstatic the day went so well. It seemed like yesterday was covered in a hazy fog, and I couldn’t focus on what exactly had happened.

As the day grew older I began to reflect on some miracle stories I had previously heard. I always told myself “Yeah, right, like that would happen” as I heard these stories. They sounded so impossible, like blind people waking up being able to see. However, after the day I had experienced, I began to believe these a little bit more. As I thought of this I learned something that matters to me; hope. I figured that I needed to stay positive and tell myself that anything I’m going through will get better in time.

It was getting late so I climbed into bed. I decided I couldn’t sleep with the soft chatter on my television, so I pressed the OFF button and it went black with a thud. I grinned to myself. It had all worked out as I had hoped. I let my head go limp and sink into the soft pillows. After several moments I calmed my mind and silently made the Sign of the Cross. Then, ever so softly, I muttered the words, “My God, thank you.”