☀️ Ordinary: Mercy in the Mundane.

Year of Breath: Words & Prayers for June after a Whirlwind May

Like many of you, I spent May marathoning my way through all the extras of parenting school-age kids. The end-of-the-year field trips, talent shows, spelling bees, baseball games, and soccer games left me feeling like I was running a race I could never win.

Now, as June arrives, we find ourselves wrapping up the school year and trying to navigate the summer.

We want structure but not too many obligations. We crave free time but worry about too much screen time. And then, the “There are only 18 summers!” TikToks and Reels add even more pressure—as if parents raising kids in 2024 aren’t already feeling frazzled enough.

We need a deep breath. Scratch that—we need several deep breaths.

The rhythms of the Church calendar offer us a bit of an exhale. Right now, we’re in Ordinary Time. In this season, we don’t have to do or be any more than what our day-to-day lives require of us. It’s easy to feel like May was a blur of inconsequential expectations, but this time in the liturgical year reminds us that the seemingly mundane holds the breath of heaven. (Pretty much the thread of Every Season Sacred!)

Our library has fill-a-bag book sales every few months. I immediately head to the religion section. I was delighted to find a collection of short daily readings by Frederick Beuchner (blurbed by Maya Angelou, no less!).

As soon as I read this part in one of the May meditations, I knew I had to share it with you all:

“All the absurd little meetings, decisions, inner skirmishes that go to make up our days. It all adds up to very little, and yet it all adds up to very much. Our days are full of nonsense, and yet not, because it is precisely into the nonsense of our days that God speaks to us words of great significance—not words that are written in the stars but words that are written into the raw stuff and the nonsense of our days, which are not nonsense just because God speaks into the midst of them. And the words that he says, to each of us differently, are be brave…be merciful…feed my lambs…press on toward the goal.”

Frederick Buechner, “Listening to Your Life”

Isn’t that what we need to hear as parents?

When parenting feels hard and you wonder if you’re messing everything up, be brave. When your kids mess up (or you do), be merciful. When expectations of raising kids in a weary world feel too much, feed your kids boxed mac & cheese. When you’re bone tired and wondering if it matters, keep going.

Because it does.

Mercy in the Mundane

From my first book, To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers & Liturgies for Parents:

We thank You for the unmade beds

And pray for those without a soft and safe place to land.

We thank You for toothpaste on the bathroom mirror

And pray for those who ache for someone to share their life with.

We thank You for the fruit flies in the kitchen

And pray for those whose hands pick the produce we take for granted.

We thank You for the cool air pumping through the house

And pray for those working tirelessly, wiping sweat from their brow.

We thank You for the piles of dirty clothes growing in the laundry room

And pray for those who collect coins for the laundromat.

We thank You for the fits of summer boredom

And pray for those whose tired minds and bodies ache for the chance to rest.

Lord, in our desire to raise rooted children,

We have lost ourselves to right theories and theologies,

Believing that saying the right thing is the same as doing the right thing.

We have rested comfortably in our privilege,

Falling into ordinary rhythms and routines

That focus on our family and forget our neighbor.

Lead us in our understanding of mutuality,

And open our eyes and hearts

So we may love inside and outside of our homes.

Coming Soon

I’ll have a June reading guide for Every Season Sacred soon! Also, be on the lookout for a giant Every Season Sacred: SUMMER playlist.

Guest Liturgy

This week’s guest liturgy over at Liturgies for Parents is by

Cassandra Speer

. She wrote it specifically for working moms. She’s a bestselling author, dynamic Bible teacher, and vice president of Her True Worth — it was an honor to work with her on this piece and edit her words. It resonated with thousands of mothers on Instagram, and if you’re a working mother or know one, take a minute to pray along.

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A post shared by @liturgiesforparents

Cassandra’s heart is driven by the desire to write words of hope and solidarity for the weary, wounded, and wandering woman looking for God. Cassandra and her husband live in Oklahoma City with their three children. In her free time, she’s working toward her Master’s in Biblical and Theological Studies (MBTS) at Denver Seminary.

Who should be a guest liturgist in 2024? Let me know in the comments!

This Week’s “Year of Breath” Includes:

Breath prayers, weekly wallpaper, guided reflection prompts, Scripture, and a playlist!

Breath Prayer

As you breathe: