11.03.2025 | Ordinary Monday

​Twirling Leaves and Ordinary Wonder
“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” — Socrates
 
Luke 18:17 (NRSV):
“Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”
 
The month of Thanksgiving has begun—and it’s arriving at just the right time for this old gardener. The world feels heavy with anger and division lately. I don’t know if things are truly getting worse or if I’m simply more aware of the news. But maybe that distinction doesn’t matter. What does matter is how we choose to respond.
 
We respond with gratitude.
 
We give thanks—for the big and the small, for the beauty that still surrounds us, for the grace that quietly sustains us.
 
The leaves are changing now, and the kaleidoscope of color is spilling across the autumn skies in untold glory. I’m so thankful to live in a place that offers four full seasons of wonder. Just this past weekend, I walked with a little two-year-old beauty who was utterly captivated by a single leaf. She picked it up, twirled it in her tiny hands, and giggled with sheer delight. That moment reminded me to pause. To notice. To bear witness to the wonder that’s always around us—if only we take the time to truly see.
I’m afraid of losing that wonder. Afraid of forgetting how to be thankful for the simple things. But then I remember: You must become like a little child. A child still sees the miracle in a solitary leaf.
 
This month let’s take a moment to rediscover the joy of youth. Let’s rekindle wonder and amazement. Let’s feed the soul—and remember to say thank you.
 
So, as the days grow shorter and the skies turn gray, may we hold fast to wonder. May we notice the twirling leaf, the giggle of a child, the hush of grace in ordinary things. And in all of it, may we whisper our thanks—softly, sincerely, and often.