Grateful for the Normal

A normal family moment captured by the outstanding Andrea Smyth (check out her photography here)

Every November since I began blogging, I've done some variation of a giving thanks series. I'm a very reflective person in the first place and constantly think about the multitude of blessings in my life, giving thanks for the big things, like my incredibly supportive family, and the small things, like having a Butterfinger in my room when I'm really craving chocolate. However, I am a sucker for November and the holiday season, so I will gladly play along with the rest of the world and give more notice to the things I am thankful for.

A few months ago, I was reading Love Taza and saw this quote.

normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. let me hold you while i may, for it may not always be so. 
― mary jean irion

It really struck a chord with me, and I was quick to copy and paste it so I wouldn't forget it.

Normal days are the ones that we are easily remembered. The rhythms we follow without missing a beat. Normal days are the days we come home to, the faded pictures, the worn-in couch, the cozy clothes, the familiar smells, the comfort that soothes our souls. The days that aren't anything special but are everything special. Where life simply happens, with no piercing punctuations.

When I’m a little homesick (yes, it still occasionally happens), I find myself missing the normal days. The ones where my friends and I would drive around Highlands Ranch during our off periods and fight over the who’s music we got to listen to. The one’s where I spent hours upon hours trying to finish busy work for my classes, and my only break was dinner with my family. I miss weekend errands and hearing my sister practice her dance routines and watching HGTV at night with my parents. It was the simple routines that left me so full. 

I guess the normal is what I seem to love so much because I know how quickly it can be taken away. It can be an earth-shattering diagnosis, an unexpected passing, a change in the opposite direction we are headed, moving away from home, or something wonderful, like a hope-restoring treatment, joyful birth, new job offer, or a sparking love. Whether it’s good or bad, life changes and we experience new seasons. We cope, we make do with what’s new, but have to navigate foreign waters, searching for a new normal, mourning the end of chapter while diving into a new chapter. 

Normalcy: talking to/bothering Mackenzie when I'm sick of studying

So this month, I hope to dwell more on the things that I love so much but so often take for granted. I hold my breath, knowing that they are a gift and normalcy is not guaranteed. Here's to an extraordinary life, that couldn't happen without the ordinary. 

xo
Hannah