Nothing is quite so beautiful to me right now, as anything ordinary.

This past year has been a bit extra everything for my family and me, and most definitely extraordinary. 10 months ago we were suddenly faced with a medical crisis and were caring for our youngest son in palliative care. Excruciating days went by, then weeks, then months in which we watched with confusion and astonishment as he slowly began to improve.

So many people, known and unknown to us, held us in a web of love and prayer through all of that uncertainty. So many people fed us. It is extraordinary to be carried in such visible and invisible ways through crisis. It is humbling.

My son was discharge from “end-of-life” care on his 18th birthday. If that’s not extraordinary enough, we went skiing. Standing at the bottom of the hill watching him ski with joy was a moment I could not fully inhabit. He is a walking medical mystery, a miracle, an expert in enjoying beautiful, ordinary moments.

We have walked an unusual precipice and are now on much more stable footing. It’s a strange feeling to shift from such sustained intensity to more predictable and ordinary times – for us anyway, for now, and I bless them.

I am easing back into work as a hospital spiritual care practitioner and plan to begin offering spiritual direction again in May. If you are interested in resuming spiritual direction with me, or curious about starting, please contact me to set up a time. I have day or evening times available, and can offer in person or virtual sessions. First sessions are free of charge, subsequent fees are $75/session.