There is one thing that you should know about me, if you don’t already.  I am an incurable romantic.  Some would use the phrase hopeless romantic, but here’s the thing.  Romantics ooze with hope.  It is hardwired into every cell in our bodies.  EVERY CELL.  It is innate to our being.

Believe me, it would seem that being a romantic is something that one could easily be cured of.  Large doses of hurt, pain, deceit, betrayal, being deeply wounded and left alone, you would think that one would easily find themselves remedied of any romanticism and left instead in a state of constant skepticism.  But alas, there has not be enough ugliness to do my romantic streak in.

To the contrary, I do believe that I have had so many plain moments of rare beauty in my life that I can declare myself forever an incurable romantic.  Consider me a fool if you will, but alas I am.

A week from today my husband and I will celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary.  For this blessed occasion I have been working on a photo slideshow of moments from our years together, a montage of our memories if you will.  It started out as a surprise for the man I daily choose to love, and perhaps to be shared with all of those who have supported our marriage along the way.  But it really has turned out to be one of the greatest gifts to myself.

It has shown me, repetitively, how plain our lives are, but at the same time, has shown me how the ordinary is filled with such a precious and rare beauty.

Our lives have shared a plethora of moments, most of which would be easy to overlook on any given day.  They are so plain, so average, so ordinary and unadorned.  But to me they are so beautiful and so precious.  I cherish each one of them captured in my slideshow and so many others that are captured only on the film of my heart.

I just happened to have been blessed in life with this amazing visual of what I am talking about.  They say a picture says a thousand words and today being short on time for writing I could use that help.

So here is a picture that was taken at a friends wedding.  This is an ordinary moment.  It was shot at their reception, an attempt to capture the beauty of the environment, which does not do justice to the real life view.   In fact to the average eye, this photo may have been quickly tossed into a scrap pile.  Jake & Jan, I am so blessed to be in your lives, but even more blessed that you sent me this picture.   To me this is not an ordinary picture.

You see there is a silly couple in this photo, a simple couple, a plain couple, at a back table, capturing a moment of absolute beauty.

Let me show you a different perspective on this same plain moment in time.  This is what our camera captured.

Yes, my darling husband does an amazing job of taking his own pictures of us.

Here is the rare and precious beauty in the moments.

Smiles

Laughs

Tears of Joy

Hugs

Moments of Release

Embraces filled with Comfort

Being Understood

A Feeling of Belonging

These are precious gifts that lie in ordinary moments in the plain and average days.

I am so thankful for the plain moments in my life.  They are the greatest source of joy and happiness in my life.

What about you, my dear reader, what rare and precious gems lie in your ordinary moments on days that seem so plain?  What are the blessings that you encounter?

I pray that you are acutely aware and attentive today to that which is plain, so that you may savor a bit of exceedingly extraordinary.

Beloved Lord,

Thank You so much for the way that You use Your golden thread of grace to weave incredible blessings into every plain and ordinary moment.  Lord, may we pay better attention and capture more with our eyes, our ears and our hearts.  May we sing praises to You for all that we do see.  May it give us a hope that can see us through.  May we continue to be incurable romantics or completed healed cynics, however one looks at it.  

Love You, Lord, giver of all these moments.  Amen