Today was a normal Tuesday. It was just an ordinary day, much like any other. But like any other day, the most mundane circumstances can bring extraordinary revelation...if you're looking for them.
My alarm went off at 5am, but somehow I didn't drag myself out of bed until almost an hour later. By the time I got on the interstate heading for work, traffic was bumper to bumper, and it was clear that my normal 25 minute commute would be much, much longer. I muttered under my breath, chiding myself for oversleeping. I also lamented over the fact that I missed the morning commute I used to share with my husband, before he started working from home. Then, the phone rang, and it was him. He was calling to read to me the last chapter of a book we'd been using as our morning devotion: "You and Me Forever" - a thought-provoking book about marriage in light of eternity. Suddenly, I was thankful for the extra long drive, since it gave us just enough time to finish the book! As I crossed the Oklahoma River, nearing my destination, I saw the most gorgeous sunrise, reflecting on the water. I breathed a prayer of thanks for this beautiful disaster of a morning commute.
During morning patient care rounds, I was overwhelmed by sad situation after sad situation surrounding my very sick tiny patients. In one patient's room, I was disheartened to see that he had shown little improvement from the day before, despite our best medical efforts. Then, I noticed the slogan on his mom's t-shirt: "My GOD is bigger than cancer." I later told her how much I loved her shirt and the truth of that statement. This was a door of opportunity for sharing our faith and encouraging one another in the midst of a grave situation.
After a long day at work, I was thankful to arrive home to my sweet family. Exhausted, we sat on the floor of the nursery talking about the day and watching our busy-body baby girl moving from one toy to the next, babbling and giggling as she climbed over her mountain of a Dad. Then, as she stood, I held out my hands, and she took her very first unassisted steps towards me! My heart soared with pride for this new milestone, and suddenly the day's exhaustion melted away. I was overcome with gratefulness for this crazy, exhausting gig as a full-time working momma, and I knew all at once that it would only keep getting better.
Then, a quick assessment of the pantry revealed that we needed to get groceries for dinner. Have I mentioned how much I dislike grocery shopping? But it was a fairly nice evening (for August in Oklahoma!), so instead of driving to the store, we decided to make it a family outing. We loaded our girl in the jogging stroller and took off, planning our route around a halfway point at a nearby park. Once there, dripping with sweat from our run, we took turns cooling off in the breeze on the swings. Then, it was on to the grocery store, where we purchased and carefully loaded a basketful of groceries - including a rotisserie chicken, a package of sippee cups, bread, juice, and ingredients for a birthday cake - underneath the stroller before our return trip home. We got some strange looks for sure, but we high-fived on our way out of the store and laughed at our typical "grocery store run" shenanigans.
This day was far from perfect. (I'll spare you the details of how Charlotte later got her finger stuck in the bathtub drain which resulted in major tears and major swelling...or how my smart aleck remarks to my husband- who spent over an hour in the kitchen preparing a rosemary chicken lasagna for dinner- made him threaten that I was risking eating dinner alone.) But at the end of the day, the most ordinary of circumstances brought some extraordinary opportunities. (In case you're worried, Charlotte's finger is going to be okay, and my husband and I enjoyed dinner together...after I apologized ;)
Oversleeping and a frantic commute to work. Discouraging patient prognosis. Juggling a mentally demanding job and quality time with my family. Exhaustion at the end of a long day and a dreaded grocery list.
Each situation brought an opportunity to choose frustration or to choose thankfulness. Today, I chose thankfulness, and it made a world of difference in this perfectly ordinary day.
-L
My alarm went off at 5am, but somehow I didn't drag myself out of bed until almost an hour later. By the time I got on the interstate heading for work, traffic was bumper to bumper, and it was clear that my normal 25 minute commute would be much, much longer. I muttered under my breath, chiding myself for oversleeping. I also lamented over the fact that I missed the morning commute I used to share with my husband, before he started working from home. Then, the phone rang, and it was him. He was calling to read to me the last chapter of a book we'd been using as our morning devotion: "You and Me Forever" - a thought-provoking book about marriage in light of eternity. Suddenly, I was thankful for the extra long drive, since it gave us just enough time to finish the book! As I crossed the Oklahoma River, nearing my destination, I saw the most gorgeous sunrise, reflecting on the water. I breathed a prayer of thanks for this beautiful disaster of a morning commute.
During morning patient care rounds, I was overwhelmed by sad situation after sad situation surrounding my very sick tiny patients. In one patient's room, I was disheartened to see that he had shown little improvement from the day before, despite our best medical efforts. Then, I noticed the slogan on his mom's t-shirt: "My GOD is bigger than cancer." I later told her how much I loved her shirt and the truth of that statement. This was a door of opportunity for sharing our faith and encouraging one another in the midst of a grave situation.
After a long day at work, I was thankful to arrive home to my sweet family. Exhausted, we sat on the floor of the nursery talking about the day and watching our busy-body baby girl moving from one toy to the next, babbling and giggling as she climbed over her mountain of a Dad. Then, as she stood, I held out my hands, and she took her very first unassisted steps towards me! My heart soared with pride for this new milestone, and suddenly the day's exhaustion melted away. I was overcome with gratefulness for this crazy, exhausting gig as a full-time working momma, and I knew all at once that it would only keep getting better.
Then, a quick assessment of the pantry revealed that we needed to get groceries for dinner. Have I mentioned how much I dislike grocery shopping? But it was a fairly nice evening (for August in Oklahoma!), so instead of driving to the store, we decided to make it a family outing. We loaded our girl in the jogging stroller and took off, planning our route around a halfway point at a nearby park. Once there, dripping with sweat from our run, we took turns cooling off in the breeze on the swings. Then, it was on to the grocery store, where we purchased and carefully loaded a basketful of groceries - including a rotisserie chicken, a package of sippee cups, bread, juice, and ingredients for a birthday cake - underneath the stroller before our return trip home. We got some strange looks for sure, but we high-fived on our way out of the store and laughed at our typical "grocery store run" shenanigans.
This day was far from perfect. (I'll spare you the details of how Charlotte later got her finger stuck in the bathtub drain which resulted in major tears and major swelling...or how my smart aleck remarks to my husband- who spent over an hour in the kitchen preparing a rosemary chicken lasagna for dinner- made him threaten that I was risking eating dinner alone.) But at the end of the day, the most ordinary of circumstances brought some extraordinary opportunities. (In case you're worried, Charlotte's finger is going to be okay, and my husband and I enjoyed dinner together...after I apologized ;)
Oversleeping and a frantic commute to work. Discouraging patient prognosis. Juggling a mentally demanding job and quality time with my family. Exhaustion at the end of a long day and a dreaded grocery list.
Each situation brought an opportunity to choose frustration or to choose thankfulness. Today, I chose thankfulness, and it made a world of difference in this perfectly ordinary day.
-L
Love this, Leigh! I love being able to keep up with you all and hear about your life as a momma. I feel the same as you. I have different "difficult" hectic situations, but the same choice to make. My theme song recently has been Hillsong's Even When It Hurts. I want to praise Him in all circumstances! Love you guys and can't wait to see you in October! PS I hear you on the stroller grocery shopping - I definitely load mine up and get some looks ha!
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