When everything falls apart—when the marriage ends, when the child dies, when the terminal diagnosis comes, when war is declared—what people long for is ordinary.

One more beautiful, ordinary day.

In the face of devastation, striving for PERFECT seems frivolous, doesn’t it???

And suddenly we all just want Saturday morning pancakes.

We want noisy dinners or late-night feedings. Homework struggles and endless stray socks on the floor. We want to circle around to basketball practice and soccer games before sending everyone up for bath time. We want back tickles and books before bed.

These days, right in the middle of my own ordinary life, the thought of how precious ORDINARY really is reminds me to savor every moment. To be present and soak it in…even the hard, messy, mundane parts.

I want to notice and breathe and listen and touch and taste ALL of it.

This life…

When the whole world feels hard, I am reminded to really LIVE it.

Life happens in the ordinary.

And what an unbelievable gift that is.