It's Sunday, and in my church we are in a period known as Ordinary Time. It's the longest season of the church year—about 28 weeks. No mountaintop experiences. No peaks or valleys. No high holy days. No major feasts like Christmas or Easter. We just keep on keepin' on… with God's help.
The color for the season of Ordinary Time is green. It signifies growth. It's a time to learn and serve and to keep the faith. It's a little like basic training, or perhaps a refresher course for those of us who have lived through many seasons of Ordinary Time. There's a tendency to think of it as something to get through --- until the next "big" thing.
In "real life" as well as in our spiritual lives, most of our days are Ordinary Time. I'm reminded of the intro to the long-running soap opera, Days of Our Lives: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives." Take a look at the sand in your hourglass. If you're like me, there are a few diamonds and jewels, but it's mostly plain old sand.
We raise our children. We do our chores. We show up for work and try to do our best. We pay our bills. We try to find a little time to create and recreate. And as we look back over our lives, we realize that it is not just the holidays, reunions, weddings and graduations that we remember – but those ordinary days that defined us and shaped us.
Remember that life is a journey, not a destination. Try not to be so focused on the next "big" thing that you miss all that you have in the here and now. Carpe diem. Seize the day. Seize each day. And be open to finding extraordinary moments even in ordinary times. Each day is a gift -- even ordinary days in ordinary times.
TTFN
LeAnn aka pasqueflower
http://pasqueflowerponderings.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/pasqueflower
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Beautifuly said!
ReplyDeleteI'm an orthodox and yesterday was a bit of a big deal ..we were celebrating (...To my shame I do not know how to traslate it..) let's say "the change" meaning that the season is changing, that we all should change into our best.
Very good point, LeAnn. That's partly why I do my Simple Joy Sunday blog post, to remember all of the good that happens during the week. It may have been an ordinary week, but things happen to make us smile and it's important to remember that.
ReplyDeleteVery well said 8-)
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspriational post. I really like the end where you say that life's a journey, not a destination. That has been my favorite saying since I first heard it (I blieve in an Aerosmith song). We need to learn to slow down and enjoy every minute.
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