These Are The Days…
I’ve never been a huge Natalie Merchant fan, but the song on the radio had me thinking about my days.
Six years ago this summer, my days were taken up by CPE – my rewarding, educational, stressful and completely absurd experience as a hosptial chaplain on the west side of Chicago. We bonded with our group, the supervisor was fired, neighborhood gangs had a shootout in the ambulance bay, weekly worship was some of the best praise I’ve ever known, and we ate hot fudge, fried chicken, and peach cobbler like we lived in Georgia.
Three years ago, my days were the regular summer days of an assistant priest working with children and youth formation. There was the mission trip to Tennessee, Narnia VBS, a week at camp with leaders-in-training, and sermon-writing. After a year in a place, things were almost familiar. I miss the good folks of St. Curate on a weekly, if not daily, basis.
This year, my days are timed by feeding Miss Bliss, by naps (hers and mine), diaper changes, and slotting in some errands. After a month of baby life – and a week of so with LS back at work – these days have started to feel like the new normal, the same way seminary days and working clergy days did.
And I realized, that all the different “normals” I’ve lived are often someone else’s “normal.” At two pm, there are always stay-at-home-moms wondering why the baby is having such a rough day, there are clergywomen cleaning up from the morning’s VBS program, there are chaplains and nurses and security guards figuring out the best and safest way to care for their charges. It may be obvious to most people, but its comforting to me on this very normal day.
July 10, 2009 at 6:58 pm
It has been six years, hasn’t it? Wow.
And you’re right: “Normal,” whatever and wherever that is, can be a gift, if we have the eyes to see it. I’m glad you do.