Ordinary Life

This week I've been especially grateful and more aware of the blessing of a great life!  I don't write this in a boastful-bring-others-down kind of way; I ride the roller coaster of emotions with ups and downs just as much as the next girl.  Now that I'm creeping uncomfortably close to fifty years of living, I'm finding the low moments to be particularly low and more regular while the highs are not so high, yet sweeter in experience.  There were many moments of pause this week, in the car, the school hallways, the classroom and in our home, where I just took it all in and gave thanks to the Lord for his goodness in the mundane aspects of life.

Yesterday, after arriving home from work, Kyle and I shared our weekly Friday afternoon routine- including beverages on the patio.  However, this week was different.  The girls did not join us and we didn't speak much.  The birds were singing.  The temperature was ideal and the skies were bright blue.  The only words we exchanged were weather related... a perfect old couple image.  This was yet another one of those moments where I thought: "It doesn't get any better than this!" As usual, my body was exhausted from a busy week in kindergarten, with plenty of challenging circumstances throughout the week, yet, in the quiet of our backyard, my thoughts were: "This moment is pinch-me-perfect," a consistent thought throughout the week.

Our evening continued with an unusual treat; all five of us went out for dinner and a little shopping.  Rarely do we get all three girls on a weekend night due to babysitting schedules and other activities.  I tend to savor these times more and more in the recent years.  Before dinner, one of our girls asked why we don't do things like other families.  She commented that her friends get to do so many things and that our family is so ordinary.  Initially, I responded with comments including: living within your means, avoiding debt, the importance of savings.  Then, as everyone, including Kyle, tuned me out, I mentioned that our lives are not just ordinary, but they are extraordinary.  It's in the small, everyday slices of life where I'm tasting the sweetest joy and where peace reigns in my soul.  Mountain top experiences and/or beach vacations bring enjoyment and refreshment to be sure, but deep gratitude comes, most often, in moments of mundane life when God's abundant goodness is gloriously extraordinary!