Striving For The Norm

26 Jun

“I think it’s important to have as much as a normal life and take the time to get perspective because it only helps your work in the long run.”  ~ Winona Ryder

Our parish grounds — and, to an extent, our very parish — were far from normal this last week. The grounds were overgrown with carnival rides, food vendor trailers, and a huge entertainment tent.  The day-to-day activities of the parish (meetings, Masses, et cetera) were more difficult to do because of the lack of places for people to park.  Weekend Masses were poorly attended because the vast majority of our parish goes to neighboring parishes on festival weekends, again, because of the lack of parking.

So, for the past couple of days, we are attempting to return to normal.  Immediately after the festival closed at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, frenetic activity took place.  By the time volunteers went home in the middle of the night, various booths were taken down and the entertainment tent was emptied of all it tables and chairs, thus ready for the tent company.

Yesterday, the tent company came out to take down the various tents.  At the same time, the vast majority of rides were removed from the property and sent to other carnival sites for this coming weekend.

Today, the street sweepers should arrive and clean the parking lots.  By tomorrow, with any amount of luck, it will look like a carnival was never here and we will be able to be back to normal.

That begs the question, though: What is normal?

As Christians, our “normal” lives are full of ebbs and flows.  Our normal lives can become quite frenetic or extremely calm.  We always seem to search for that “norm” in our lives, though.  That place were we are at peace in our hearts so that, whether extremely busy or at total stop, we find God in our lives.

What is normal, for a Christian, is not to be busy or to be totally relaxed.  What is normal, for a Christian, is to be full of the love of God so that others see it in us whether we are at work or at rest.

FAITH ACTION:  Search for that which keeps you rooted in your faith so that you have the energy to proclaim the Good News to those you encounter.