mundane

Good morning…

The word mundane means banal. Lowly. Normal. Routine. Day-to-day. Humdrum. Lacking a sense of awe in the absolutely ordinary, we can miss the magic of the present moment. Adversity often amplifies the beauty of the commonplace. As 37-year-old Elizabeth endures harsh treatment for her advanced colon cancer, she writes about the divine dynamic of savoring the simple things tucking into every day.

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Excerpt from Elizabeth’s PostHope blog The Beauty In the Mundane, March 17th, 2023

I’m really thankful to report that I’ve had the best week since this whole debacle started back in November. It’s felt like the good days have been few and far between as far as pain, side effects, and energy-level go. I’m not sure what has contributed to these successive good days. Was it the white blood cell boost I got on Friday that’s giving my body a little more healing power? Is it the reduction in dosage of the irinotecan? Who knows. I’m trying not to think about getting hit with chemo again next week because I am so thankful to be feeling a little bit more like myself. I’m rejoicing in the little things this week that are actually very big for me. Would you rejoice with me and would you find beauty in your mundane too?

Here are some things I have done this week that have brought me a feeling of normalcy and gratitude:

  • Crafting in the front yard with my kiddos.
  • Sorting Legos by color while Joseph was home sick with strep.
  • Walking in to Margaret’s room on Monday to wake her for school (thanks time change), and finding that Caleb had snuggled and slept with her the whole night. Oh my heart exploded with love at this sweet moment.
  • Making it down to the lower part of our back yard to watch the kids do tricks on the trampoline.
  • Attending student-led conferences for both Margaret and Joseph.
  • Power washing rugs (the dog had a diarrhea situation last week, so there was some much needed rug remediation)
  • Getting impatient as a child had a tantrum (about as mundane as it gets, but I was there for it even in my impatience)
  • Unloading the dishwasher (yep, I said it, I’m thankful for unloading the dishwasher. This means I was able to bend over without being in pain. What a gift)
  • Washing and folding some laundry.
  • Packing lunches – I don’t know why, but it felt sacred to me to be the hands that prepared their food.
  • Going to the fabric store and picking out some new fabric for our dining room chairs. I chatted with the sweet lady who runs the shop, and she didn’t know I had cancer. I got to feel like a normal person.
  • Holding Caleb’s hand and walking him to his classroom this morning. We got to see the mischief that the leprechauns had gotten into.
  • A 2.5 mile walk with a dear friend. That’s the farthest I’ve walked since my diagnosis!
  • Went for a quick visit with the ladies of my community group. Usually I have zero energy by the time it gets dark, but I had a little left, and it was so sweet to get to be with them for a little while.
  • Numerous front yard visits with people I love.

If you’re struggling today with feeling overwhelmed or exhausted from the rat race, would you slow down and count it as a blessing? Your body has the capacity and energy to do the normal things of life. Friends, that is a gift. Six months ago, I don’t think I would have fully appreciated the above list as blessings. What a beautiful thing to participate in the mundane tasks and joys of this life. When your future is so uncertain, the little things can sometimes take your breath away.

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I invite each of us to fulfill Elizabeth’s request. Might we rejoice with her and find beauty in our mundane, too? If we are struggling today with feeling overwhelmed or exhausted from the rat race, will we slow down into the present moment? Focusing on the good at hand, we count “right now” “this normal thing” “these people who surround me” as simple blessings to savor. A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life (Proverbs 13:7, MSG).

On this ordinary day, what forms of mundane beauty might you savor, savor, savor?

…Sue…

P.S. Today Elizabeth’s mother-in-law will share her wisdom with us. Joan Alexander will speak on “Unwrapping the Gift of Soul Friends.” Please join us for our Women’s Lenten Lunch and Learn from 11:45 to 1:30 pm in the Watson Faith and Arts Center at Northside Church, 2799 Northside Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30305. Lunch is complimentary and no registration is necessary.