The Remarkable Ordinary, by Frederick Buechner
It is very likely that you might not see this, you like might seem to be the sum of very ordinary moments and your work might not seem to hold the significance you long for, but to Frederick Beuchner, the ordinary of life is remarkable.
This book, The Remarkable Ordinary, is only 120 pages, but it took me two months to read. This collection of mostly unpublished letters invite each of us to recognize that a remarkable life is happening, right here, right now. Buechner’s way of weaving words illuminated moments of my life that will keep me thinking for some time to come.
One of the things that I love about this book, and will likely find in other Buechner’s books, is that he doesn’t seem to be afraid to wonder, and appears quite alright with not having the answers.
“The deepest mystery of all, I think, is the one to which biblical faith points, which is the idea that we are made not only of matter that comes from the earth and stars, but we are made in the image of God. Whatever that means. I don’t know that means altogether, but I think it mans that we bear his mark upon us. Deep within us. The face of Christ is within us, his thumbprint is upon us. The world adds all sorts of things to that holy self that God made, but it still is there, thought we lose track of it in a million ways…” ~To See is to Love, to Love is to See, The Remarkable Ordinary by Frederick Buechner
Along with “The Remarkable Ordinary”, I was given “A Crazy Holy Grace” which I am looking forward to reading as the New Year arrives. These books were sent to me by HandleBar Publishing in exchange for my thoughts and this blog post.
