The Grace of Ordinary Time

Today is an ordinary day and I embrace it.  Mostly ordinary birds, sparrows, sing and eat at my feeders. I got up, took the dog out, drove Sky to work, and then came home which is what I ordinarily do most mornings when I am off work for the summer.  There are no appointments on my calendar, no challenging decisions that have to be made, and I don't have to go anywhere for any particular reason.
I can write or pray or do laundry or vacuum which may seem to be a strange collection on my to do list but these are things that have become a part of my rhythm of life.  Everything is familiar.  I embrace this day because in the not to distant past, there were no days like this.  I want this to become my new normal--my ordinary-- because I feel such a sense of peace and grace.

Where I attend church, we have a liturgical calendar that is divided into seasons of which the most familiar are Christmas and Easter. The time between these seasons is called Ordinary Time and is usually designated as so many days after or before a special season.  For me, my favorite time of the church year is Ordinary time. This is the time when the liturgy is the most familiar. This is the time when I feel most secure.  This is time when the church supports me in my day to day existence.  This is the time when I feel closest to God.

The grace of ordinary time is that we know of the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ and have accepted it.  It has become so much a part of our life that even without the celebrations we would continue to live the way we have chosen.  It is a good place to be.  It isn't a straight line of perfection but more a journey where little course corrections have to be made on a daily basis.  It is the time, as some have said, the time to "walk the talk."

Today I am grateful for ordinary time, both here at home and at church.  This is the time I feel most enlightened.  There is a buddhist saying that goes something like this:  "Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water.  After enlightenment, chop wood carry water."   It is a joy for me to "chop wood, carry water" i.e. live the ordinary life because it is here that I feel of the grace of God..