Day Nine: Quotidian Beauty

After the climax of day eight, I'm afraid no one will want to read the rest of the story.  It all gets... well, normal from here.  I'll tell you upfront that I don't think I can top yesterday.  But isn't that like God?  Showing up like a hurricane sometimes, then working in whispers while you do laundry. David C. Cook had become my publisher.  There was certainly a brief euphoria in knowing I would soon be a published author.  Then the ordinary business of writing a book began.  Well, ordinary except for the oddly familiar situation in which I found myself once more.

The really cool (and daunting) part of the news:  They liked what I wrote and decided they wanted more, as in at least double what I already had.

The really uncool part of the news:  They wanted it to be my voice alone, meaning that I needed to part ways with Cheryl.  I wondered if firing your friends was just all in a day's work when you write a book?  This was the second call of its kind that I would be making, the first obviously being to Shannon.  I could only pray that Cheryl was as gracious.

God heard my prayers. Cheryl couldn't have been more encouraging and supportive.  She said she saw it coming, one of the perils of a publishing company.  But she told me that the biggest audience was always our goal, and God was being faithful to open these doors.  She said she was thrilled to be instrumental in even a portion of the journey and would cheer me on with anticipation.  If you've read any of the comments on previous blogs, you know she's kept her word.  :)

Aside from firing my friend, The Beginning of a Book, Part Two started much like a Monday morning.  Nothing special.  No fireworks.  It was all very pedestrian.  Very quotidian.

Quotidian is one of my favorite words, and not just because it's really fun to say.  It means ordinary.  Everyday.  Commonplace.  It also encompasses the very essence of much of life, and much of the way we connect with God.

The most everyday things- brushing teeth, drinking coffee, washing dishes- can become the most holy things.  That's what happened with this book.  The glamour of being a "published author" was quickly replaced by index cards with book notes jotted down in between changing a dirty diaper and doing the laundry.  But in the middle of the spin cycle, I'd meditate on some aspect of God's character that I'd just been writing about.  Powdering Elias' bum made me think of how precious life is and how much life Rick squeezed out of his years.  Holy moments- quotidian beauty.

There's plenty more to talk about in the book writing process, but the rest of the journey needed to be preceded by the reminder that, just as God orchestrates grand events, He whispers His greatness into each moment of our ordinary days.

I'll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors.

- C

Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them.  The least we can do is try to be there.   - Annie Dillard