Tag: poetry

Embracing Ordinary Days: A Journey of Gratitude

If you have ever gone through a period of time when your life was in chaos, when nothing seemed to be right, you will understand what I am about to say: I am thankful for ordinary days. This thought has been rattling around in my brain for a few weeks now and struck me again this morning: I am thankful for ordinary days.

I was out walking my dogs on this beautiful October morning when the thought struck me again. We are blessed to live in a relatively quiet, relatively ordinary neighborhood, with a walking trail around a small pond. This morning, those who had to be at work or school had already left. The only people out were other dog walkers and fitness walkers. It was quiet and peaceful. There were no air raid sirens warning me of incoming rockets. I didn’t have to pick my way through the rubble of bombed out buildings. I didn’t have to slosh through streams of mud trying to find the remains of my house, my life. I thought of my sister Tammy and her husband Frank who are driving north through Florida evacuation traffic, trying to get their newly purchased RV out of the path of the next hurricane. Yes, ordinary is good.

It’s not that my life is boring. We just got back from a few days in Colorado to visit our granddaughter. We got to enjoy the majesty of the Rocky Mountains, trying to absorb the breathtaking show the Aspens are presenting. “Oh, look at that one! Look over there! So beautiful!” Such beautiful golds and yellows against the backdrop of evergreens. Even the fallen leaves looked like piles of gold coins. 

I came home to piles of laundry and I am grateful. Grateful for an abundance of clothes, for clean, running water and electricity. Ordinary…until you don’t have them. As I consider these ordinary blessings, I consider my counterparts, here in America and around the world, women who would gladly trade problems. I pray for them, that God will meet their needs, physical and spiritual. And I again thank Jesus for this beautiful ordinary day.

THE BUMPY ROAD

I recently discovered a beautiful magazine, Bella Grace. It is full of lovely images and inspiration for those of us who journal. In the current issue there is an article that inspired me: “33 Reasons Why the Bumpy Road is Always Better.” That title resonated with me because I took the bumpy road in life when I went to college at age 47.  That was some bumpy road! Things had changed a lot!  And the bumps got bigger when I went to graduate school.  There were days moments when I was looking for an on ramp to get back on the freeway. Maybe I should just drop out and go to lunch with my girlfriends! But I kept putting one foot in front of the other, and I got to the end of that particular bumpy road. I was the oldest graduate! So old that one of our local television stations sent out a news crew. “Old woman earns doctorate.”

Robert Frost describes our life choices beautifully in his narrative poem, “The Road Not Taken.” I have always seen myself in that poem. One thing I have learned over the years is that there are many different ways to live a life. Taking the bumpy road requires courage. I think of my granddaughter, Hannah who left behind everything familiar and moved to Colorado on her own because she wanted to live close to the mountains. She is flourishing! I always wanted to live close to the mountains too, but would never have had the courage to make a move like that in my twenties.

Using the article as a journaling prompt, I began a list in a small journal I am keeping.  Here are a few of my reasons; see if you can add some more.

Reasons Why the Bumpy Road is Always Better

  • It helps you find your true north and gets you to the place you were always meant to be.
  • The bumpy road is more interesting than the super highway.
  • Fast is not always better. There are lessons to be learned along the way, and learning takes time.
  • Even detours are a part of the plan.
  • You meet the most interesting people.
  • There are always hidden gifts to discover.
  • Bumpy roads develop trust muscles. I learned to trust God, others and myself.
  • Those bumps caused me to lean in closer to God and deepen my relationship with Him.
  • I learned I could do hard things and achieve my goals, even when they seem impossibly high.
  • Looking back, I can see that I created some of those bumps myself.  Choices have consequences. Once I figured out that God had a plan for me, and then got onboard with it, that bumpy road didn’t seem so impassable.
  • I hope I have carved out some hard-won ruts and left a trail for those coming behind me.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.