On Paying Holy Attention to the Gifts All Around Us
May we have eyes to see the "silent majesty of the ordinary"
When my mom asked me what I wanted for my 42nd birthday, I was prepared. Usually, my mind goes blank when it comes to gift ideas but this year, I kept a note on my phone, adding to it whenever something came to mind: a book I couldn’t find at the library, an item of clothing that caught my eye.
I like to think that I’m easy to please, but I had a friend in high school who lit up with delight at life’s smallest pleasures. She had a gift for turning the mundane into magic, for treating ordinary occasions as something special.
We went on a picnic one Saturday, and she poured juice into wine glasses and we toasted like we were fancy people. As we ate our meal, all I noticed were the bugs but she breathed deeply of the forest air and only had eyes for the beauty surrounding us.
When we met up at a nearby café, I ordered my coffee and a pastry and thought nothing else of it. She oohed and aahed over the latte art, over the paintings on the walls, over the pattern of the silverware and the single bud in the vase on our table.
I loved her for it.
What I took for granted, she took as gift.
Our lives are enriched when we begin to see the things (and people) around us as the gifts that they are. We can choose to pay holy attention to what’s on our path: to notice, to marvel, to appreciate.
John O’Donahue writes:
“The wonder of the Beautiful is its ability to surprise us. With swift, sheer grace, it is like a divine breath that blows the heart open. The pedestrian sequence of a working day breaks, a new door opens and the heart recognizes the silent majesty of the ordinary.”1
These are the times when beautiful moments come to us unbidden and unexpected, like a divine gift. Often, we leave these gifts unopened: we are consumed by the demands of the day, distracted in our rush, numbed by the soothing light of our screens, or impervious to the familiar.
Today, I turn 42. I’m old enough to understand that getting older is a gift in itself, that aging, growing, and becoming is a privilege. I want to tune my heart to the “silent majesty of the ordinary” all around me.
Something I wrote: Spring seems to get more intensely busy, doesn’t it? Many of us are tackling projects, or in the thick of the end-of-school-year craziness. I’m in the throes of VBS planning for our church! So I’m sharing a reminder I need for myself, too: 4 Ways to Incorporate More Rest into Your Daily Rhythms.
Something I read and loved: Two Paths Diverged in the Woods by
I really loved these thoughts about what makes for a robust, resilient, and generous Christian imagination!Something I listened to: Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash was a wonderful novel on audio! I got in a lot of walking and a lot of cleaning just so I could listen to this story about a girl who grows up in two homes, on two continents, with two families. It’s told in about 8 different points of view, but somehow, it works!
Something I’m cooking: I’m intrigued enough by this Black Bean Pie with Cheesy Jalapeno Mash to do some quick metric conversions!
You don’t need to wait until you have a birthday to celebrate! Print out this list of fun special days to celebrate (with a friend or with your kids) and use it as an excuse for some extra joy in your day! Just hit the download button below:
Until next time,
From Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O’Donahue
Happy Birthday, Sarah! :) I really enjoyed reading this today. You are a talented and thoughtful writer, thank you for this newsletter. I am also 42 and it is so true that getting older is a privilege, and if you pay attn, there is magic everywhere. ;)
Happy birthday! 🎈I'm 42 as well and seems like a good age to be!