Miracles All Around Us

Miracles all around us

It’s been a great week at our home!  My twin boys are turning 18 in a couple of months, and they have both decided to serve missions for the LDS church.  (For those not LDS, they are joining those white shirt and tie young men you may see around your town.)This is a very big decision and they both feel great about it.  They received notification of where they will be serving this week:

Jens - Santiago Chile

Josh - Trujillo Peru

They are so excited!  They will both be speaking Spanish and will be in countries right next to each other.  I’m excited too, but am quickly wondering what in the world I will do without them!   There are going to be quite a few tears shed in the next few months as I anticipate 2 years without them around.  That’s a long time!!  But I couldn’t be prouder of their decision.  

Tears ...

These boys hold a pretty special place in my heart because we had to work so hard to have them join our family.  After many years, many heartaches and many dollars, we were thrilled to find out we were expecting twins.  I remember the first day I felt one of them kick.  What an absolute miracle.  Aren’t children all miraculous?  

Now we are starting into the “lasts”.  This will be the last Spring Break with them before they leave.  This is the last term in High School, the last Prom, the last Easter….and on it goes.  Why is it that when something is nearing an end we give it more notice?  Why does our life go on without us appreciating the little miracles that happen every day?

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk and teacher who talks about finding peace.  He said,

“Around us, life bursts with miracles--a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere.

Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings.

When we are tired and feel discouraged by life's daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there.”

Every day, billions of us wake up in the morning and go about our busy days. For some, the busyness of the day does not allow for time to reflect, while for others, the mundane routine offers little to look forward to, or to be grateful for.

Look around!

The nature of life today does not often lend itself to recognizing the miracles happening around us and often to us. When we take time to slow down and notice the miracles around us, life is better.  Here are six everyday miracles you may be overlooking:

1. People changing - every day I change, even in just a little way.  So every day there are people in our lives changing, making choices, improving their own little corner.  Make sure to pay attention enough to applaud these changes.  More will come if you do.
2. Protection - Have you ever had a thought that made you change course or do something different?  “Don’t cross the road here” or “The kids shouldn’t drive to town tonight.”  Those are often times promptings that will keep you safe.  If you follow the prompting, you won’t know the consequences of not - meaning you won’t know what would have happened if you HAD crossed the road there.  Don’t wait for the negative to happen to be grateful for the protection.  Every day you live and make it safely to the end of the day should be celebrated as a little miracle!
3. Advances in technology - The miracle of my twins was due to an advance in technology.  The fact that you may be reading this on your phone (I mean really - on your phone??) is a huge advance.  They are so rapid and constant I think we forget to see them as miracles.  Remember the phone that connected to the WALL?  Pretty miraculous that mine is small enough to fit in my pocket and go everywhere with me now!
4. Healthy Family Relationships - WOW!   Do we notice when things are going RIGHT at home?  I know I spend way too much time talking about what isn’t going right, and unfortunately, we get what we talk about!  So it’s about time we spend our time talking about our wonderful families and everything that is working so it will continue - completely miraculous.
5. Random Acts of Kindness - The guy was waiting in a long line of cars, but he waved me in ahead of him.  Cool.  Someone saw me coming and stopped to hold the door a little longer and gave me a smile.  Nice.  People are good.  It’s true.  People all good all around you and every day people are serving others.  My boys will have a lot of opportunities to serve in South America, and I’m so appreciative of all the people that will serve them.  Amazing.
6. The world around you - Look at the mountains, the valleys, the trees, flowers, rivers and streams. The beauty, alone is awe-inspiring and each is miraculous. The mountains provide protection from passing storms; the trees and flowers produce oxygen for us to breathe; the rivers provide water.  I could go on and on.  What an incredible place we’ve been given to enjoy.  Now let’s really enjoy it!

So in the spirit of great weeks and miracles, open your eyes and pay attention this week.  I challenge you to find 10 miracles you didn’t see last week.  And I’ll bet you’ll find more…

Love,

Dr. Michelle Jorgensen