08.13.2025 | Ordinary Wednesday

A beautiful, sunny day here in the Carondelet Garden on this mid-week, mid-month Wednesday morning.  We should see skies turning partly cloudy this morning and they should give way to occasional showers during the afternoon.  The high should be in the upper 80s with winds out of the North at 5 to 10 MPH.

The flowers have been such a gift in the Garden this year.  This smiling sunflower is a bit of grace on this Wednesday morning.  We have been extraordinarily busy these past few weeks.  Helping with family, doctor's appointments, tests, more tests, a few outings, and the normal things one does to keep life moving forward.  In a word:  Busy.  

Busy-ness has its place but we have moved into a new phases in our lives.  A bit slower.  A more gentle life.  Taking the time to do the little things and enjoy them while they are here.  One of the great joys of getting older is you finally take the time to notice and enjoy things again.  A bit of wonder restored in a world filled with anger and chaos.  A bit of ordinariness that helps regulate the madness.  That is what we crave right now.  A simple ordinariness.  

A simple, ordinary life filled with grace and wonder.  That is where joy lives.  I'm currently reading Dr. Kerry Burnight's book:  Joyspan:  The Art and Science of Thriving in Life's Second Half.  I highly recommend it.  It teaches us that our existence is more than getting by.  It's meant to be lived in joy and wonder.  Aging is not easy.  The aches and pains and loss are very real!  Yet, there is so much we can still learn and do.  We can be the helpers now.  We can thrive!

The book talks about life's second half but I believe it is important for everyone to read this book.  Discover that it isn't how long you live but how you live and give and thrive!  A bit of joy shared on this Wednesday morning.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.