Comfort Zone or Not - Some Things Remain the Same

A recent trip from KY to NY took me right out of my comfort zone - and it's a deeply entrenched comfort zone. I've been married since I was 17, my mom was my best friend, and now my daughter has taken that role. Along with our not so empty nest, what with a boomerang kid and grandchildren, I don't have much occasion to be alone. So there I was, in a Holiday Inn at Seneca Falls, NY, while my husband attended an expo for three days. With a Wal-mart at one side and a McDonald's at the other, I wasn't left completely without resources but, as someone who rarely goes it alone, I was feeling somewhat displaced. On the brief walk to WallyWorld, however, I was struck by how some things remain the same - no matter where you are:

Humidity still makes me feel like a guppy out of water but the miracle that is nature continues to intrigue me. Native flowers, the smell of freshly mowed grass, and the singing of birds is present everywhere - if you just take a moment to notice.

Prayer, chatting with a Facebook friend about Eucharistic Miracles, and the feeling of being watched over by my Guardian Angel - these things are still here with me.

Mothers' children, yelling 'Mama', and the subsequent response - yep, that's still there - even in a Wal-mart in NY. I also still get that warm feeling in my heart when I see a large family and their disorganized yet controlled dance at the checkout lane.

Strangers returning your smile also works here as does the occasional preoccupied glare.

I still have the security of knowing that my husband is only a few miles away - and will be home in time for dinner - and I like it that way!

I can find a Catholic Church (or two) even in a smallish town in NY, where weekday Mass and confession is offered. The same Mass that will be said at St. Elizabeth parish in Curdsville, KY.

We have so much to be thankful for - and so little time to appreciate it all. It's a gift to be pulled out of your little pond, if it causes you to rethink the wonder that is our life.

As we fall back into the routine of being home, may I never forget the beauty of each of our lives. There is so much to appreciate - so much that, sadly, goes unnoticed as we go about our routine. I pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire me to go out of my comfort zone - even if it's just to rethink a jealously guarded notion to which I have held onto for way too long. Let my mind, heart and soul be open to appreciating that with which I have been blessed. And let me find a kinder, more gentle way to share what I have found! God bless you friends!