Five of Clubbs: Ordinary time

A couple of Decembers ago, after we started the month with a Christmas party for my mom's side of the family in my hometown of Kankakee, Illinois, my Uncle Denny sent me a Facebook message. He had given my son Eli a ride, along with his grandsons, at one point during the festivities, and they had discussed the upcoming holiday. Eli had told him, "Yeah, I am really excited about Christmas, and then I'll have my birthday in March. After that, I don't know what I'll look forward to. I'm sure my mom will think of something."

I do like to make things special. In addition to marking major holidays and birthdays, we celebrate the Super Bowl, Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, Saint Patrick's Day and many others with at least a little fanfare, even if it is as simple as a football-shaped dessert or a King Cake. We have themed parties for TV shows, like "Hamilton's America" on PBS, and read books, like "Martin's Big Words," to honor historic days.

But I also love Ordinary Time.

In the Catholic Church, Ordinary Time is the period from the Ephiphany (end of the Christmas season) to Ash Wednesday (start of Lent) and from the Pentecost (end of the Easter season) to the first Sunday of Advent. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops states, "Christmas Time and Easter Time highlight the central mysteries of the Paschal Mystery, namely, the incarnation, death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Sundays and weeks of Ordinary Time, on the other hand, take us through the life of Christ. This is the time of conversion. This is living the life of Christ."

Whether you are Catholic or not, the "ordinary time" can seem a little plain and boring compared to the glitter and drama of the holidays. But just as Catholics are exhorted to use this time to focus on the day-to-day living with Christ, all of us could be reminded to embrace this "ordinary time" to savor what is special in our everyday. It might be drinking a cup of coffee while watching the sun rise or putting on our fuzzy socks when we get home from work. It could be taking a moment to write down that funny thing our kid just said or send a letter to a family member we don't get to talk to often enough.

I'm also reminded of when my sister, six months pregnant with my nephew, was sitting at the emergency vet with my brother-in-law. She had recently taken some flack from a few friends who thought she shouldn't have found out her baby's sex during her 20-week ultrasound. As she wondered whether their suddenly ill dog would survive, Krista commented to Chad, "And people say there aren't enough surprises in life."

There's definitely something to be said for things being plain and boring.

So, as we eke out these last dark winter days of Janu-Feb, I'll try to do my best not to wish time away and to appreciate my ordinary time. I hope you will, too.

"Our lives are made

In these small hours

These little wonders

These twists and turns of fate

Time falls away

But these small hours

These small hours still remain"

-- Rob Thomas, "Little Wonders" from "Meet the Robinsons"