January 12, 2022 “It’s a good thing we don’t have a normal family. Darcy would have nothing to write about.” Those wise words came from the mouth of my niece, Emma. Emma has been featured in this column before, most recently for her ability to look stunning in what is otherwise a really ugly sweater. I’ve written about other members of my family, too. I’ve written about my family’s antics at Halloween. I’ve written about some of the funny happenings associated with being a twin. I write regularly about my husband and son, our adventures and our conversations. My family is full of characters. Most of us are loud and a bit silly. When we get together, it’s a bit chaotic. We have a saying in our family: “Normal is just a setting on the dryer (or washer, depending on the family member and their appliance setup).” We don’t strive for normal. We enjoy the crazy things that happen when we’re all together. I thought of Emma’s wise and funny words as I reflected on the fact that we’ve entered “Ordinary Time.” A Google search tells me that Oxford Languages defines “ordinary” as “with no special or distinctive features; normal.” I feel like “Ordinary Time” is a misnomer. We may not be celebrating Easter or Christmas, and we may not be observing Lent or Advent, but our lives as Christians don’t seem very “ordinary.” In my nearly four years writing this column, I frequently hear about how my writing reflects the fact that I see God working in everyday life. Our God loves us. God is working in our lives every day, every minute, every second. His work doesn’t stop because we’re not celebrating a specific season. That’s pretty extraordinary. Our God has gifted us his Church, through which we can grow our relationship with him. He’s given us the opportunity to receive our Lord body and blood, soul and divinity. That’s pretty extraordinary. These may be “ordinary times,” but our God is extraordinary. There’s nothing “normal” about him. |
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