“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” This is one of my very favorite quotes from one of my very favorite Saints. Mother Teresa was not known in her early life for being particularly extraordinary. Our priest told a story this past Sunday about how even after Mother Teresa had joined the Sisters of Loreto, a Bishop remarked that he would not even put her in charge of the Sacristy. Which simply means he didn’t have a lot of faith in her or think she could handle even the smallest of responsibilities. This was how her life as a religious sister began—in a completely ordinary way.
Though she did not start out extraordinary, it is unlikely you will find anyone in the world (with exposure to the internet) who has not heard of Mother Teresa, now known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. She became extraordinary not because she did extraordinary things, though in the culmination of her life she very much did, but because she did ordinary things with extraordinary love. Most of us are not called to start a religious order or even uproot our lives to care for the very poorest of the poor in India. Most of us are simply called to live the very ordinary lives God has placed in front of us, in an extraordinary way. Another of my favorite quotes, which is attributed to St. Iraneus, is “The glory of God is man fully alive.” If we are going through life without actually engaging in life, in the people around us, then we are missing the point, and our lives will be only ordinary. If, however, we simply love (to will the good of the other) to our fullest, then our lives will be anything but ordinary!
In other news, my family and I are settled in our new house. I have my garden growing, I’ll share pictures soon 😊 My kids are continuing to be “schooled at home” (which I have learned is different than homeschooling), and we all really like it! They have live virtual classes for an hour or two a day, the rest of the time we do the assigned work and play. Notice I said “we” —this version of schooling is definitely more labor-intensive for Momma! But it is worth it!! And yes, I am definitely still writing!!!
The sequel to Awakening—Gifted— is a few months away from being published. I wish it was sooner too! But the days go so fast it will be here before you know it 😉 I will be releasing the box set of The Light Series hopefully this week. I’ll let you know when I do. And then soon after that will come the release of Awakening on Audio. Something many of you have been patiently waiting for!
I wish you all a completely ordinary day, lived in an extraordinary way!
~Jacqueline