Extremely Ordinary Miracles

Relax.

I know my title, EXTREMELY ORDINARY MIRACLES, is a contradiction in terms, an oxymoron, a paradox, an incongruity.

I know what a miracle is.
Trust me for a few more minutes.

Some common definitions of miracle are: an event caused by a deity that suspends the ordinary course of nature or a highly improbable, wonderful event. But there are also everyday miracles.

The root of the word miracle is miraculum, which translates “to wonder,” or “to marvel at.” This is the main point of today’s message. A little earlier today my family was having breakfast at Sparrow Bakery, our favorite breakfast restaurant in Bend. Why? For a few reasons, like their warm, friendly service, wonderful menu, consistently delicious food…but THE main reason for it rising to the top is their ambrosial Ocean Rolls. So you don’t have to look it up on your phone (like I just did), ambrosial means so delicious it is fit for the gods. That’s heavy duty but it is true. Ocean Rolls are fit for the gods.

It was my birthday and of course, I wanted Ocean Rolls for my family. What’s an 80^th birthday breakfast party without them. I ordered last, “Five Ocean Rolls, please.”

The young woman wrinkled up her face, paused and reluctantly said, “Sorry, we just ran out. There are more, baking in the oven.

“When will they be ready?” I asked.
“About a half hour,” she responded.

When I told her why we were there, for my 80^th birthday breakfast and Ocean Rolls, she kindly offered a free substitute pastry. I was touched. Then I headed back to our table to share the sad news.

Now, back to before my Ocean Roll order…

I was telling my family why 80 years old didn’t seem that old to me. I told them that at the Larkspur gym where Wendy and I work out, I made two new 95-year-old buddies who exercise there regularly. They’re my new role models and I want to follow their steady, seemingly ageless journeys. I

And then, on my way back to our table, I hear my name being called out, “Burt, Burt.” I see someone waving his hands at me. Who is it? You guessed it. It’s Fred, one of my 95-year-old buddies, eating breakfast with his wife!?!? What are the odds of that happening in a town of roughly 110,000 people with at least 100 places to order a nice breakfast? Fred!! My whole family surrounded his table and told Fred we were just talking about him. None of us could quite believe it, but we all were in awe at our statistically improbable good fortune.

Maybe that’s not an ordinary miracle, but here are many that are: fluttering butterflies and dancing hummingbirds. Tiny seeds that grow into breathtakingly beautiful flowers or quarter-inch seeds that grow for five thousand years! Our young grandchildren are already wiser than we are in many ways, and we notice it and tell them. Learning to finally end destructive family patterns that have lingered for generations. And teaching others how to do it, too. Yes, we can all give it a shot! One step at a time.

Our steady hearts that beat roughly 100,000 times a day without us even thinking about it. And cool doctors who have learned how to replace our broken ones…not that many years ago.

And the sun rising every single morning for nearly five billion years.

The most important lesson of this Ordinary Miracles riff is to remind us to experience these miracles daily and realize we can actually create them, too. And to allow ourselves to enter this state of awe every day!

Pebbles make a mountain,
Raindrops make a sea,
One day at a time
Change begins with you and me,
Ordinary miracles
Happen all around,
Just by giving and receiving
Comes belonging and believing,
Every sun that rises
Never rose before,
Each new day leads the way.
Through a different door
And we can all be quiet heroes
Living quiet days
Walking through the world
Changing it in quiet ways