Life in Particular

“There is no life in general. Each day has been a collection of trivial details—little intimacies and jokes and screw-ups and realizations.” ~Kate Bowler

That is a truth I need to remember often. Though it may often seem mundane, my particular life is mine alone, and when my days are finished, it is mostly the daily moments that will make up the particular life I leave behind.

Last Thursday, my crew of four headed off to the mountains of West Virginia for our own particular weekend away. As excited as I was to take the trip, Thursday began with me waking with a headache, 3 fights with my daughter, 1 fight with my son, a rush of needs to care for, a school project unfinished, and the news that I had 2 more deadlines to meet for one of my big in-process projects. The overwhelm of it all turned to irritation that spilled over into the ride to the mountains, so 2 more daughter disagreements over music turned to bitterness spilling over to my husband. Great trip so far, I thought.

But ask and you shall receive. I woke Friday with this request—May this day be blessed in some way with joy. Then I opened the The Lives We Actually Have by Kate Bowler to the suggested reading for the day and found this:

Blessed are...you who pull out a magnifying glass
to discover, to notice, to taste, to smell
the small joys and simple pleasures that make a life worth living.
You who wear the fancy blouse because it makes you feel nice
long after you thought your body wasn't worth decorating.
you who eat the over-the-top meal, because that is what today can afford.
You who make the memory and plan the trip and snap a picture because you know
that this one wild and precious life might cost you everything.
So why not make it not just bearable--but beautiful?