This brief paperback is the text of the 1998 Madeleva Lecture in Spirituality sponsored by the Center for Spirituality at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana. Kathleen Norris, award-winning poet and author of Amazing Grace and The Cloister Walk, points out that in today's pressure-ridden world, most people seem to view household tasks as "a monotony that can occasion listlessness, apathy and despair." Yet Christian monastics, including Therese of Lisieux, teach that we can locate devotion and meaning in daily occupations.
One of the spin-offs of a belief in the Incarnation, Norris explains, is knowing that spiritual nourishment can reside in unlikely places. The author salutes the repetitiveness of laundry and liturgy as work that God has given us to do. In our household chores, we bring order out of chaos. The challenge is to connect all of our work to prayer and praise. Norris concludes with reflections on marriage as another quotidian mystery that may seem menial but actually is an important carrier of everyday spirituality. Throughout the Bible, God's attention is focused on little things. Norris also shares some of her poems to demonstrate that God is present in everything we do.
