Routine And Rituals

 

As much as I'd like to think I'm this really cool, exciting chick that thrives on the excitement of the unpredictable, I am really a lover of stability. Routine and rituals are the perfect soothing balm to my introversion.  That or I'm just getting old.

There is something about the daily routine that keeps me calm, even if some parts of that routine are not necessary calming (like laundry). The keeping of home, routine breaks to sip a cup of hot tea, the rituals of prayer, the usual morning walks, the predictable dinners, all of these help me to have a sense of "home".  I have learned to appreciate these so much more this year.  In between those moments of grieving and/or stressing out about the unknown, the predictability of the rituals and routine of my home life brought me calm even if at times short-lived. 

And that is, I think, the nature of the Divine - predictable in His Mercy, reliable in His love, calming through the rough times, generous in grace.

For the beauty of the Divine in what is otherwise a tediously predictable life of routine and rituals, today, I am truly thankful.