In her book, The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and "Women's Work, Kathleen Norris writes, "It is a quotidian* mystery that dailiness can lead to such despair and yet also be at the core of our salvation... we want life to have meaning, we want fulfillment, healing and even ecstasy, but the human paradox is that we find these things by starting where we are...we must look for blessings to come from unlikely, everyday places."
*(meaning daily or ordinary)
It's easy to view our lives as if they are divided into two categories: the ordinary, daily (often boring) tasks and experiences, and the times and places that seem more sacred (like church services and retreats). Yet, it is in the daily moments -- where we spend most of our time -- that we are often blessed by encounters of the Holy. Presence.
Lately for me, ordinary moments becoming extraordinary include:
watching parent birds patiently feed their fledglings at our feeder,
my flowers, almost destroyed by the extended heat waves, returning to life with new petals and leaves, and
the spectacular spider webs created each night by orb weavers, which are seen only in a certain slant of light.
What have some of your ordinary, extraordinary moments been this summer?
Last week one of my favorite blogs, Barnstorming, (by "physician farmer" Emily Gibson) shared an entry, titled "Ordinary is just extraordinary that happens again and again." I highly recommend taking a few moments to read the blog and enjoy the stunning photographs that illustrate how ordinary becomes extraordinary when we get close enough or quiet enough to notice.
Emily Gibson ends her blog with this song by Fernando Ortega:
In the coming year, our retreats will be shaped around the theme of "Our Ordinary, Extraordinary Journey": seeking the Holy in the commonplace moments we so easily miss or take for granted, and using the different seasons in the church and nature as the backdrop for our noticing. The continuing invitation for us will be to pay attention to each step on our journeys, trusting that ordinary moments along the way can reveal gifts of extraordinary presence of beauty, love, and God. Moments that transform us.
As poet Mary Oliver writes,
"Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it."
We hope you'll join us this year!!
Detailed information on this year's retreats can be found on our website:
(under the pull down "retreats").
But below are direct links to registration for the different retreats.
You can hold your spot for any retreat, with a $25 non-refundable deposit (applied to your retreat cost).
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