normal day

I have a sneaking suspicion this is what matters most. Not the anticipation of Advent, the celebration of Christmas, the long journey of Lent, or the exuberance of Easter. But the everyday of Ordinary Time. Lately our kids have been grumbling about the Christmas decorations being packed away. The house looks so plain, I hate it. And they're right. There is something melancholy about tucking away the trappings of such a happy season. At first glance we see only absence. The gaping space where the tree stood. The empty mantel where the creche was displayed. The bare door frame where grinning faces of friends and family beamed down at us from Christmas cards. But there is welcome relief in slipping back into the ordinary, too. Rediscovering the beauty of what was already around us, hidden behind the holiday lights and ornaments. The walls and windows of our own world. The places and peace that we had already worked to cultivate. I have noticed over the past few … [Read more...] about the gift of ordinary time