[Cynthia Herron] Delight in the Ordinary

Image Credit: Jenny Friedrichs/Pixabay

A year or so ago, I purchased some wonderful, new coffee mugs. Mondo-sized mugs I could easily fit my hand all the way through. At the time, I really liked the mugs. I still do. They’re different from the cups that friends or family (God bless them) have selected or given me as gifts, not that those weren’t nice or appreciated. 

These coffee mugs, though, fit my hand like a glove, and I especially like the wave effect on the mugs. It reminds me of my favorite spot on earth — the beach.

Since the home goods store didn’t have four of the same kind of mugs, I chose two that said “Dream” and two (same wave effect, deeper shade of blue) with the word “Believe.” Perfect. It’s as if God set aside those big ol’ mugs just for me.

Now, when I use those mugs, I’m reminded it really is the little things — the ordinary things — in life that often bring joy. 

What about you? Do you appreciate the unexpected? Do you delight in the ordinary?

Do simple things leave you breathless?

Okay. Maybe you’re thinking whoa, Cindy. It’s just a set of coffee mugs. No big deal.

True. Maybe to you. It’s all about perspective.

Tuck that thought away for a moment. We’ll revisit it again when we chat about underwear. 

That’s right. Underwear.

Now that I have your attention, keep reading! 

(And, no worries. We’ll keep it G-rated. I promise.)

Perhaps, during this season of COVID, masks, and social distancing, you’ve appreciated ordinary things more than you used to. I certainly have.

Now, about that word. The blush-worthy one I mentioned.

Underwear.

The word that may or may not paint our faces red. The thing Nana used to refer to as “unmentionables.” 

Underclothes. Underpants. Panties. Boxers. Briefs. Whatever your terminology, how often do you give them a second thought?

We wear ’em. We change ’em. Simple. everyday undergarments we probably never really think about. Until they wear out and we need to buy new ones. 

But what if…

You’d spent the first nine years of your life in an orphanage and had one — one — threadbare pair to your name. Buying a new pair wasn’t an option. You used what you had or you did without.

Consider that a second. Let that really sink in. 

Image Credit: Ponce_Photography/Pixabay

Let me share a story.

Years ago, my sister (a nurse) worked in the surgical wing of a large hospital. 

“I met the sweetest little girl today.” Holly* tugged off the stethoscope draped around her neck. “Short, cropped hair, gorgeous, dark eyes, and a beautiful smile—full of spunk and totally adorable.”

Obviously, my sister was smitten. I wanted to know more. “Oh? Was she having surgery?” 

“Well, I can’t share the details, of course, but something like that. And she’s in the States for a while on a medical visa.” Holly’s voice registered excitement. I sensed something different in her inflection and her countenance.

Life changed for Holly and her husband Jim* after that day. Somehow, I knew it would. 

Almost nine-years-old, Erin*, as it turned out, came to this country to have a nevus (hemangioma) surgically removed at the hospital where my sister was a nurse.

For Holly and Jim, it was love at first sight. The sweet-dispositioned child from another world away captured their hearts and held them for ransom.

They initiated the lengthy adoption process. Mounds of paperwork, endless forms, home visits, and red tape filled their days.

During the weeks Erin recuperated from surgery, she was able to spend time bonding with my sister and her husband.

They cherished every moment with the child that would one day be their daughter. Sometimes, they’d linger over her bedside, drinking in her presence as she slept.

We all knew the day would come when Erin would have to return to her home country and remain there until her adoption was finalized. It was a hard realization and not an easy time for Holly and Jim or our family. They wanted to fully appreciate the days with Erin, yet they knew once they boarded her on that overseas flight, it would be nine months before they saw her again. Nine long, heart-wrenching months before they’d touch her, hold her, love her.

The thought overwhelmed us.

Erin, the always smiling, ever resilient child, though, took things in stride.

She often reminded us, as she held up two fingers about an inch apart, “It’s just for a short time.”

Oh, this child… Be still, my heart.

A few days before Erin’s flight back, Sis and I walked into the bedroom where Erin stood, eyes transfixed. In her Mandarin dialect, she began to count…

One-ah. Two-ah. Three-ah. And so forth.

On the bed were stacks of underpants. Colored ones. Flowered ones. Some pretty and plain and some with lace embellishments. 

Erin’s face lit up as she finished counting. “These are my new underwear. I will wear them in China. And I will share them, too.” 

And Erin did. 

And later, she returned to her new home. To her new mama and daddy.

So, those simple things? The ordinary things that are a matter of perspective? 

This is the story I want you to remember, my friend. Today, as you slip on fresh underwear.

*Names have been changed. I initially shared this story in my monthly newsletter. If you’d like to join my newsletter family, I’d love to welcome you! Click HERE to subscribe.

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As we search for balance in this unsettling new season, may we delight in the ordinary. May we remain encouraged!

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body… (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NIV)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NIV)

What “ordinary” things are you thankful for?