Eternity Hidden in the Ordinary

It is just another ordinary day for the white egret.
It feeds, it breeds and then flies south for the winter.
Yet in its ordinariness, it adds beauty to nature
And it is part of the great circle and cycle of life.

Most days in life are ordinary and almost same as any.
We sleep and rest; we wake up and work; we eat and play.
We make friends; we raise a family; we build communities.
Yet in the ordinary are the seeds of eternity.

Imagine a primordial particle spinning ever faster and faster,
Till all at once it explodes into one galactic burst of light
The first bang that brings everything else into existence.
It is the morning of the first day.

Imagine all those light photons, splitting and then fusing again,
Till all at once all that energy passes through an event horizon
And a new star is born to light up yet another dark corner of the universe
Or an old star implodes and become a black hole in reverse.

Imagine all the leaves falling off trees and rotting on the ground
Then the snows and the rains of winter pound these into the grime.
Till all at once, in all that decay, the call of spring comes
And life all of a sudden is blooming all around.

Imagine now a tumescence exploding into an orgasm
Causing cells to combine and multiply to form a new beginning
Till all at once the womb goes into a spasm
To give birth to yet another human being.

So life is lived in ordinary daily events
Bit by bit, we build up materials and elements
Till all at once and in the fullness of time
Something magical happens to carry on life’s rhythm and rhyme.

Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
~ Psalm 147

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, he left
and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues,
preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.
Mark 1:29-39