The Quotidian

Some time ago I read a book by Kathleen Norris titled The Quotidian Mysteries.  It was a beautiful little book about all the ordinary things that we do that can be the source of grace in our lives.

2011 moving 6-7-11 003I’m reminded of it today because I am stuck in the quotidian.  I’ve got a pot roast cooking, clothes in the washer, dishes in the dishwasher and I’m dusting and vacuuming.  I guess I must admit these activities are far from quotidian for me – I hardly do them every day.  Yet, they are in some ways the “plain, ordinary, everyday things” that occupy our lives.

And I’m reminded of the grace in the repetitive motions of folding the wash, sorting the recycling, peeling the potatoes and the like.  When we are trapped in the mindless activities of cleaning, our minds can be free to encounter God in even the smallest things.  It is also an opportunity for profound prayer.  Yes, grace inhabits our lives and God is acting whether we are involved in exciting activities or the quotidian chores of keeping house.

Such are my thoughts on a gray, cold and ice-rainy day in D.C.  I hope you can find grace in the quotidian as well.

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