Recently I sent a text to my oldest daughter lamenting the many funerals I had attended in the past few weeks.
I typed, "Is this what the rest of my life is going to consist of? Endless funerals?"
Her response stopped me in my tracks, and I have continued to ponder it for days.
"Well, there will be funerals, but that's not all that it will consist of. It will also consist of births and graduations and weddings and other celebrations.
And the glorious mundane of ordinary days with a rhythm of their own."
If you know my family, you know that Laura is a gifted writer with a flair for the English language. But that last phrase was so eloquent, that I thought she might have copied it from some famous writer. No. Those were the words she used to encourage me. And she's so right.
We anticipate the birth of Grandchild #16 at the end of summer. We have three grands graduating from high school in 2025. One grand just celebrated her 2nd wedding anniversary. The other teen grands have just begun their dating years. Steve and I will celebrate our 53rd wedding anniversary next month, and just imagine how many birthdays our group celebrates in a year.
Since I have decided to drastically reduce the number of deadlines in my life (mostly those imposed by publications to which I've been contributing), I have found myself finally savoring the "glorious mundane of ordinary days with a rhythm of their own." Those days almost always consist of meal preparations and clean-up, laundry, house tidying, and grocery shopping, but I now have more time for thinking, pondering, seeking God, touching base with friends, and talking to Steve about nothing and everything.
I believe the "glorious mundane" of my current stage of life can still consist of purpose, learning new skills (maybe, just maybe, I'll finally figure out how to make a decent loaf of homemade bread), sharing my home, leaning into long conversations, and growing spiritually. "Ordinary days with a rhythm of their own" doesn't have to mean squandered time or laziness. Instead, it can mean doing things with excellence and determining what kind of rhythm can have eternal effects.
One Sunday morning recently, we sang the hymn "Take My Life and Let It Be," a hymn I have sung as long as I can remember. The first verse grabbed me in a fresh way --
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days
Let them flow in endless praise.
Let them flow in endless praise.
Moments. Days. Endless praise.
Ordinary days. Filled with soul-satisfying reflection and purpose.
Thank you, God, for the blessing of experiencing the Glorious Mundane.
1818 Farms in Mooresville now includes The Cottage where they sell many products that have been created as a result of their magnificent flower gardens and babydoll sheep. This tray is part of their resin art collection. It incorporates a variety of dried flowers and is beautiful for serving or for displaying. It seemed like the perfect photo to accompany a post titled "The Glorious Mundane." The address of The Cottage is 4934 Market Street. Check the Facebook page for hours when it is open -- generally on Fridays and Saturdays.