Finding the extra-ordinary in the ordinary

This is a different sort of post. This Sunday our church is starting a theme that will take a number of Sundays to explore: The Extra-Ordinary and the Ordinary. As an ex-English teacher I'm all over that kind of thing so I volunteered to be the first one of the congregation so say something about it. This is what I will say. I hope some of you will also think about the requests I have at the end. Don't worry; it won't cost you anything and nobody will know if you do consider them or not.

The last year and a half has been extra ordinary for many reasons and because of that I have been forced to spend more time considering ordinary events, events that, in other circumstances, I would likely have passed over without much thought. By spending a bit more time on the small and ordinary, I have found extraordinary joy.

As most of you know, I was a high school teacher. I have no siblings and I have had very little to do with young children. We live in an older neighbourhood which is now seeing young families move in. Three children of elementary junior high age live across the alley. Two children, one in kindergarten and one in early elementary, live next door.

The girl across the alley loves to draw and paint and the compact greenhouse that backs on the alley bears the slogan ‘grow tall little plant.’ She has painted colourful flowers all over the front of the green house. Whenever I see it, I smile.

She is also interested in our parrot. One day Richard received a text from her mother saying that there was something for me outside our garage door. When I went to look, I found a clay model, a couple of inches tall of Odie complete with the correct colours of his head, breast and back feathers. This ‘quiet version’ (the real version is quite noisy) of Odie now sits on shelves above my desk.

During the early days of the pandemic when children were out of school for the first time, this same artist painted Odie on her patio door. As the seasons changed so did Odie’s attire. At first, he was just plain Odie, then as Christmas approached Odie showed up one day with a Santa hat on and a string of Christmas lights near his foot. I’m wondering if Odie will sport a cowboy hat this summer and wait eagerly to see whatever version of Odie appears. If he has served his purpose as a window decoration, and is replaced by something else, that’s okay too.

On our anniversary last summer, we looked out the door to see the words ‘Happy Anniversary’ on the sidewalk in front of our house in brightly coloured chalk.  It was the work of the girls next door, with some help from their mom.

The other day when I was in the house and Richard was outside, the younger of the two girls picked a blossom from their tree, walked over to him, handed him the blossom and announced it was for me. When he finished his conversation, he came in the house and delivered the present. I set it on the desk beside me where it briefly scented the air. 

Perhaps these are the ordinary things children do but I am only now discovering them, and to me they are extraordinarily lovely.

So today, I have two requests of you:

First, this week take time to look closely at ordinary things so you may find in them extra-ordinary things

Second, note each time you find something extra-ordinary. There will be time in upcoming services for you to share your experiences so we can all enjoy them with you.