This weekend I was surrounded by nature: the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, the new-growth green on the trees, glacier blue icicles, the shimmering ripples of the mountain lakes, the river rapids carving smooth craters in the stone. As we were driving, we listened to Sarah McLachlan’s “Ordinary Miracle.” The song and the surroundings were a perfect fit.
“The sky knows when it’s time to snow
Don’t need to teach a seed to grow
It’s just another
Ordinary miracle today”
Though my job doesn’t afford me the luxury of working in the natural world, I am reminded to look for ordinary miracles wherever we are, despite our surroundings. A child learning to read. A school day running smoothly. The synergy of colleagues. The company of friends. The embrace of a child.
“Life is like a gift, they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up, and find a way
To give some of your own”
What gift, what miracle, will you open, unravel or discover today?
“The birds in winter have their fling
And always make it home by spring
It’s just another
Ordinary miracle today”
Earlier this week, I saw amateur footage of a family of ducks crossing 167 Avenue. While they were crossing this busy road, the mom and dad were on either side of the ducklings: one at the front, one at the back. The ducklings squawked joyously upon their arrival on the grass. After crossing, mom and dad both took the lead, the danger now behind them. Truly remarkable.
“The sun comes out and shines so bright
And disappears again at night
It’s just another
Ordinary miracle today”
Miracles surround us: if only we allow our eyes to see.
The cycles of life are indeed the miracles that gives us hope: winter, spring, summer and fall–just like the cycles of our lives, it seems.