Every Day Miracles

On Saturday, after the retreat, we headed to my sister's house.  What a treat to spend time with my nephew, who will be 7 years old in May.

I had found a pair of Spiderman slippers under the guest room bed, and checked with my sister to make sure they were left behind after their last visit--in other words, I didn't want to return a pair of slippers that he'd already outgrown.  She said he'd be ecstatic to get them back.

So, I brought them with me.  I said, "Guess what I brought you?  It's something you've been wanting for a long time."

His face lit up, and he said, "Dental floss!"

I did give him my box of dental floss, along with the slippers.  I'm willing to do my share to promote good dental health.

Like my mom, you may wonder why a boy loves dental floss so much.  He loves opening the box, as if it's got superpowers.  He loves unspooling the dental floss.  And it's very strong.

Those of you who are Spiderman fans may see connections between the unspooling strand and the Spiderman narrative.  But I'm more interested in his enthusiasm over something that adults don't notice, or if they do, they take it for granted.

When's the last time that your face lit up at the thought of receiving dental floss?

We take so much for granted, particularly if we live in a first world country.  For example, our water is safe to drink and fairly cheap.  We turn on a tap, and out it flows.

It's a miracle unknown in most developing countries.  Easy access to clean water would make life in developing nations so much easier, especially for women, who bear the burden of toting the water.

In the first world, we're surrounded with everyday miracles, like clean water.  There's indoor plumbing.  Electricity.  Fairly cheap food.

I'd like to restore my sense of wonder, so that like a 6 year old, I'm overjoyed with the simple, every day items that so many of us take for granted.