Done Deal

"The best is yet to come!"

I've heard this saying often over the last five and one-half years. It's one of our slogans. It's on the felt banners we hang from walls in halls across this country (maybe it's even printed in other languages around the globe). I've uttered these words of encouragement to many a despondent newcomer. I've written it in countless anniversary cards. But do I believe it? Damn right I do! Do you? Embracing the hope promised in this simple sentence does not mean I can ignore the present moment--quite the contrary.  All I have are the 24 hours in front of me. Nor does believing that "the best is yet to come"prevent the past from sometimes coming back to bite me. It does mean, however, that if I follow a few basic steps (all 12 of them), to the best of my ability, I am promised a better life than the one I walked through the door with. That doesn't mean I'm promised a boatload of money, a bigger house, a more luxurious car. It does guarantee, however, that I will be better; I will become the best version of myself possible as the days of my life unfold. As one beloved member of this fellowship is fond of saying, "It's a done deal."  The deal he's referring to is the one between him and God when he asks him every morning to keep him away from a drink for that day. That's the same faith that reminds me that regardless of whether my kids mess up their lives, my job challenges me in unforeseen ways, my ex drives a deeper wedge between us, my financial situation takes a hit, and/or friends disappoint deeply, NO MATTER WHAT, the best ME will emerge. And that my friends is a done deal.