I wrote in an earlier blog that I wouldn't be making a resolution for this new year. But something I read this morning does compel me to commit to a new mindset going forward. The piece I read was written by one of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott, and published in the Washington Post.
Anne begins by sharing something she read decades ago that struck her as profoundly true. It was a quote of Albert Einstein's: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
It’s a miracle that Earth exists at all, let alone is populated by humans who came up with antibiotics and Oreos ... That we are no one else but our very own selves is a miracle. ... Our eyes open, our ears open and, if they don’t work that well, we have devices to help them hear better. Our hearts are beating. Our lungs are bellowing in and out, our diaphragms rising. The muscles release and contract and get us up again. Sometimes we need others to help us. Both are amazing, the strength to rise or the loving help.
How might I move differently through a day living into the idea that everything is miracle? That's a question worth considering.
That my legs can carry me outside to breathe deeply and walk amidst beauty is a miracle. That a small box above my stove rewarms my coffee to an acceptable temperature; miracle. That I can share my mind's thoughts and musings with all of you by clicking the "publish" button on my computer screen; miracle. That I can hear my husband sipping coffee in the next room and experience a sense of warmth and love ; miracle. That out of love God created and keeps breathing life into this world; miracle. That God's Spirit attends us daily with mercy, grace, and tenderness; miracle. That following Jesus is less about control and achieving and more about paying attention and surrender; miracle.
Friends, I invite you to pay attention to your miracles today.
Ruth
