You asked for it — and you got it . Well, a version of it.  I am happy to tell you about my first book.  This is an album of portraits of Nature that I took on my daily walks in my neighborhood.  The book has been designed to be a sort of meditation journal.  There are 52 full-color images, all taken by me in natural light, and unenhanced or altered in any way.  The book also includes a collection of wisdom sayings and plenty of blank space for your own musings. Hopefully, this book will inspire you to reflect on the beauty of life, and the ways we learn by not taking our time for granted.

The title, “Ordinary Time,” is a sort of play on words taken from the dual meaning of the term’s use in contemporary language and as the name of a liturgical season in the Church.  Here’s the explanation from the introduction of the book:

So much about life is uncertain, unclear, unpredictable.  Yet, nearly everything around us, including human life itself, relies upon the structure of repetitive cycles.  The rhythms of these cycles are mirrored in the construct of time.  And, in the Church, the liturgical calendar relies upon the certainty of these cycles by adhering to them, building upon their unique characteristics for the annual celebrations of important events in salvation history.

Outside of liturgical seasons such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, the Church numbers the weeks in a year and collectively calls them Ordinary Time.  Here, the meaning of the word ordinary refers to ordered or numbered.  Perhaps taking a cue from Nature, the dominant color of Ordinary Time is green.  I like to think about the ordinariness of my time in this sense of the word, as well as coupled with the common usage.  Extraordinary things fill the ordinary days of every life — sometimes hidden behind the leaves of a bush, sometimes deep within a human heart.  Sages remind us that when we make the effort to notice these details, we will find a truth that is apart from our imaginations.  When we take the time to discover how beautifully that truth weaves into our own experience, and to share it with others, we allow ourselves to become more fully human.  When we engage all of our senses in the present moment, we create happiness and find our reasons for gratitude.

I hope the pages that follow provide a few moments to reflect on ordinary life.  There are 52 images – one for each week of the year, if you are counting.  All are non-enhanced photographs taken in natural light around my home in St. Louis.  I added quotations by people and sources meaningful to me, and blank space for you to write or draw or doodle.  For family, friends, and my ordinary life, I am truly grateful!

If you would like a copy for yourself or to give away, great!  Look for more posts with information about this and more artistic endeavors on the say.

Thanks for your support — S