an ordinarily miraculous day

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own

-Sarah McLachlan

What started out as a normal lazy Sunday turned out to be quite eventful. First, we thought we had lost little Salju, currently the most affectionate of all our cats. Sometime after breakfast, she just disappeared. We didn't realize till later in the afternoon, and by then all kinds of thoughts were going through my mind. Someone catnapped her. She followed someone and got lost. She got into an accident... And then it started to rain. Hard. So the best I could do was say a prayer for her and hope she was alright.

Then suddenly in the afternoon, as the cats were getting fed their dinner...guess who shows up, as if she was never gone? Yes! Little Salju...hungry after a day of sleeping in a secret place somewhere! And here she is...safe and sound...on top of me...

It always amazes me how such a small bundle of fur can give so much joy and comfort. So she is definitely my miracle for today!

Then on BBC today there was a special program about Brazil, a country I have always loved from afar, never having had the opportunity to go there. It seems that Brazil has been popping up quite often in the past few days. News of a Brazilian Culture Workshop that is going to be run by Jendela Ide in Bandung later this month, my purchase yesterday of Bebel Gilberto's new CD momento, and today's BBC feature program on Brazil. A sign, perhaps of a visit to Brazil???

And finally, on Oprah today the topic was one of my favourite childhood movies, "Charlotte's Web". I still remember watching it as a child, falling in love instantly with Charlotte, the spider. And crying at the end when her eggs hatch and all her babies fly away... I haven't seen the newest version, featuring Dakota Fanning - a remarkable actress at the age of 12! But what caught my attention most from the show was the song sung by Sarah McLachlan at the very end of the program, Ordinary Miracle. I love the lyrics, especially. As they remind me of how every day is filled with miracles - 'ordinary' miracles...that fill our lives, and of which we are also part of. Sarah sings,

When you wake up everyday
Please don’t throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
Cause we are all a part
Of the ordinary miracle

Ordinary miracle
Do you want to see a miracle?

Its seems so exceptional
Things just work out after all
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sun comes up and shines so bright
It disappears again at night
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

It’s just another ordinary miracle today

May you have a miraculous week ahead.