In the month of October three new members were added to my extended family. Our nephew and his wife had a beautiful baby boy.  Our niece and her husband adopted a son from Korea and brought him home to meet his four-year-old brother who was adopted from the Philippines. Finally, a cousin’s son married a wonderful girl on a beautiful Arizona Sunday evening.  All these happy occasions made me reflect on my life, and how quickly the time passes.

We celebrate happy events like these, taking pictures to remind us of special moments in our lives. But let’s face it, most of life isn’t made of big, celebratory moments. They’re lived in the ordinary.

But isn’t that what makes life truly beautiful?

The everyday things we never even notice are really our richest blessings…a child with dirt all over his face, sun streaming through windows, the crunch of leaves beneath feet, the whir of the washing machine, the dog snoring nearby, the sound of your loved one coming home. All these things add meaning to our lives and without them our souls would languish.

So today, challenge yourself to look at the mundane through different eyes. Breathe in every aroma, feed on the sounds around you, savor the taste of your food. In short, feel the goodness of God in the ordinary.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

Make a list of your ordinary blessings. What are you thankful for today that you may not have noticed–or perhaps even grumbled about–yesterday?