8.08.2009

Sacred in the Ordinary: Life

I am tempted to search for the extraordinary. I catch myself longing for the incredible. I fight the urge to notice the spectacular. In doing so, I risk missing the most extraordinary, incredible and spectacular of all... the sacred in the ordinary.

My Moment...

Right Now. It is 4 AM on Saturday morning. I find myself sitting here. Not a typical time for me to be awake, but with a little one they tend to dictate these types of moments.

As I wait in hopes for him to settle down soon and fall back to sleep, I reflect on things.

When I woke to tend to him, I noticed the red light blinking on my phone. I had a message waiting. I predicted what it would be and I was right.

Just hours ago my grandma went to be with Jesus. In just hours to come a cousin will be getting married. I am not able to be present with my extended family for either of these events but am still drawn ever so close in my heart.


LIFE:

Everyday of it seems so ordinary, and yet when I take the time to reflect for just a minute it becomes so sacred... so very sacred.

* My friend unexpectedly in ICU fighting for it (a miracle as he's improving)
* My grandmother saying a final goodbye to hers
* My cousin merging his to join another
* My young child happily enjoying his, unaware that at 4 AM he should be sound asleep
* My daughter completing and celebrating another year of it
* Just celebrating another year of it myself

LIFE:

* Taken for granted
* Planned as though it will last forever
* Having the potential to be gone in the next instant

I know I touched on it in my Fave Five list yesterday, but with our friend still in ICU and the news of my grandma, it still seems to be such a pronounced and increasingly sacred and profound mystery to me.

LIFE:

Truly a sacred gift most often lived out so very ordinarily...


What moment did you notice this week?

Read more about my thoughts behind the Sacred in the Ordinary.

Leave a comment or do your own post linking back to here. Be sure to come and leave your link in the comment section so I can come enjoy your sacred in the ordinary moment.



"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day." -Alexander Woollcott

7 comments:

  1. Donetta,
    I'm so sorry for the passing of your grandmother. Your post this morning is beautifully written.

    Last night I had a moment with my children that I reflected on later as I lay in bed, thinking of the life filling moments of my day. It's been a long week and I've said more than once how I can't wait for them to be back in school. Last night we sat watching a silly show on t.v. and I realized that, at the ages of 12 and 16, the only reason they were sitting there was because they both just like being with me! Fancy that! It just flooded over me and was a beautiful moment, considering the not-so-amicable ones of the past few days. I told them how thankful I was for the two of them. They just gave me their silly grins and I loved them all the more.

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  2. So sorry to hear of your grandmother's passing. I am praying for you even now, and I have been praying for your friend in ICU, too.

    I think my sweetest moment of the week came with my 5 year old Bear, who yesterday said to me, "Mommy, I just want to curl up with you and snuggle forever." Holding him extra close as I await his first day of kindergarten and clinging to these moments... like holding on to drops. It truly is sacred.

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  3. I am sorry for your grandmother's passing, that was a hard time for me personally since I was close to mine. How is your friend doing that is in ICU?

    You are so right life is taken for granted, tomorrow is taken for granted so easily.

    Hugs.

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  4. So very sorry to hear of your grandmother. Our prayers are with your family.

    I've been thinking of life lately too. My mom and dad are both in their '70's and my husband's mom in her '80's. I've been trying to just make a point of doing ordinary everyday things with them. Just spending time and being together. There is definitely a sacredness, imo, in being together and at ease doing ordinary everyday things.

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  5. My moment was spent thinking about how a rash decision in youth affects a lifetime. Perhaps sometimes it is good that life is just a moment...

    Blessings,
    Tammy ~@~

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  6. I am so sorry about your Grandma. Praying for you and your family!

    How is your friend in ICU doing?

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  7. Your post has stayed on my mind in the last several days. I was sitting on the ground in a hallway of the local community college. My roomie was taking some assessment exams and I was waiting outside reading the Bible she keeps in her bag. It's one of the updated KJ versions that tries to give the alternate translation of some key words in a given verse. I was reading Psalm 27 and came to verse 14 about waiting on the Lord. The word "wait" was underlined and the alternate translation was "trust." How true it is that waiting very often means trusting.

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Thank you for taking a moment to stop and chat. I enjoy the presence of you!
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