Ordinary, begone!

Monday February 7, 2011


One of my favorite bloggy friends is Becky of Wonders Never Cease. I just love her tagline: Frisking the ordinary for the presence of God.

When you search, examine, inspect, track, or trace the ordinary of each day, it’s amazing what that quest will yield.

Without our scrutiny of the ordinary, each day is just like the one before it. But when we look for His hand, when we trace His fingerprints, the ordinary turns to wonder.

When you have little ones, this is both easy and hard. Hard because you are so incredibly busy, so preoccupied with being "on duty" every single moment. There seems to be so little time to contemplate what just happened, to see the wonder lurking just below the surface.

Then again, with little ones to whom most of life is wonder, it’s easy to find it reflected.

I can close my eyes and go back in a second. I remember the weight of a sleeping three-year-old as I hefted him from the car. It was late and rather than wake a sleeping babe, I decided to carry him to his bed. We were just a few steps from the house when I felt his little curls brush against my ear as he lifted his head to look up into the sky.

Framed in drowsiness, his husky little voice asked, “Mama? Are the stars squeakin’?”

I chuckled. “No, honey. That’s crickets you hear.”

“Oh,” he answered sleepily. “Crickets.”

I smiled as I tucked him in bed, turning over in my mind the possibility of stars squeaking and remembering the wonder in that little voice.

Ever earthbound, I’m all too often down with the crickets. But the wonder of a three-year-old reminds me that if I but look up, I’ll open myself to the possibility of stars.

Has something chased the ordinary from your days lately?

When I googled "positive effects of snow 2011" nothing came up! Have you been able to see past the ordinary (or perhaps the aggravation) to get a glimpse of wonder? I’d love to hear!

8 comments:

Clella said...

Laura, I love this post! Past the Ordinary...Is that the title of a book? If not, it should be. :-) Clella

Shonya said...

Precious. Yes, children remind us of the beauty and the wonder all around us, don't they?!

BTW, thank you for the nice welcome, and I expect the book to arrive this week in case you didn't see that response in the comments on my blog! :) excited! :D

rjerdee said...

Children put wonder back in our hearts, don't they? I like to keep my grandsons around for just that reason!

Susanne said...

One of the reasons that makes my job worthwhile is the beautiful wonder of the children at the world around them.

I love the look of the fresh snow without any tracks or paths yet run through it. It's such a simple beauty. I also love the look of the snow coming down in the light from the streetlights at night.

Karen said...

I enjoy being with my 6-year-old nephew because he reminds me of the innocence and wonder that my own kids had -- and still have, if I choose to see it. Teenagers are amazing in their viewpoints.

The cold weather we've been having has kept us inside and home. We've had a lot more family time together, which is unusual in a houseful of teenagers. I'm loving it!

Rebecca Ramsey said...

You sweet friend. Thanks for the kind mention. I'm sending you a hug!

I love your sweetie's question about the stars squeaking. I think that when Jesus said we should come as a child, this is an important part of what He was talking about. It takes intention to step out of the busyness of the day for a little reflection, but not for kids. They're always in the moment. I want to be more like that!
Much love to you!

Heidi @ Decor & More said...

I'm so blessed that I work with little ones every day, because I see Him all the time! It's helped me open my eyes to my own People at home, too. I've been reading Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts" and it's a game changer... you want to have the eyes of your soul open all the time. Such a blessing.
Happy Monday, friend!

Amy Sullivan said...

I always love visiting Becky! I usally click away laughing and inspired.

Perfect picture for you post, Laura.

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