Many thanks to Zoe for this post.
Life for me post-graduation is full of the everyday, things which seem unremarkable. Until I look back and realise that one by one these unremarkable things have changed into other unremarkable things, that time has passed and much has moved on. The words in our narrative are being written every minute, every moment, and the pen doesn’t stop moving over the page, whether I stop to look at the words or not. We are living, inhabiting this story, a narrative which I believe was begun by and is shaped every day by our awesome creator God.
As a stay at home mummy to a three year old and one year old, our days are filled with simple things. There was a time where a lot of these things could have seemed mundane- cleaning up, making meals, tidying and playing are not always in themselves thrilling. As time with my oldest daughter marched on relentlessly, I quickly realised that life could be lost in this stream of unremarkable, whilst I just focused on getting through each day. Embracing the quotidian and appreciating moments I had often overlooked has allowed me to savour more of the fulness of life, to look at each day and remember that the next one God gave me wouldn’t be the same.
Recently the most comforting, grounding parts of my day have been the ones which are completely everyday and routine. Pouring porridge oats into little bowls, letting them soak into the milk, hearing the ping of the clunk of the microwave door and the ping. Pausing to see the stretch of blue sky, birds flitting and sun climbing over rooftops. The certainty of the rhythm of the morning frees up my thoughts to recognise joy which can be found all around me, in my children’s faces, our home, the reassurance of a fresh day and clean countertops.
Reading my Bible in the morning whilst toys are scattered over the floor helps me to focus my priorities, refresh my thinking and draw on God’s strength to find joy in every situation. My faith means I don’t look to my own strength when I am tired or impatient, or struggling to find the beauty in what seems a very ordinary existence. I stop trying and striving to do it all, and remember that He has put me here to live my story the best way I can- but only through His strength.
I know that there is value in little moments of reading my little ones books, wiping their sticky fingers, watching them splash in the bath. These everyday rhythms are certainties for my children, and for me. Our days stretch with routines of toddler groups, preschool, time at home, naptimes and mealtimes. Nothing is glamorous about trying to get a toddler out of the door, but walking along the road, looking across the fields while the Red Kites screech and swoop make me breathe deep and thank God for this life and this season.
More and more I am looking to appreciate and love all the moments– simple ones and grand ones, hours spent at home or out somewhere ‘exciting’. By being grateful and joyful in every circumstance, I can see my story, our stories being written as our feet touch the floor.
Zoe is a Sheffield English Literature graduate, and managed to have two children in the course of her degree! She is now living a village life with her husband and two little ones. When they sleep, she spends her time reading, writing and creating.
Zoe’s blog: http://zoeprose.wordpress.com
Zoe’s Twitter: @zoeprose
