My kitchen window needs washing. My routine life needs wonder!

Beyond my sink window splattered with dirty dishwater stood a Momma doe watching her two bouncing baby fawns. Like my two children, they were full of wonder and excitement. They scampered in circles around her as she stood dutifully guarding her little ones. Unlike her kiddos, she didn’t expend the energy to frolic. 

As I stood scrubbing the spaghetti sauce pan, I wondered if she, like me, was weary. I felt connected to this momma deer. I sensed she knew I was watching her as she watched her fawns. Lowering her head to take a bite, she nibbled at the sweet clover, a treat my husband had planted specifically for wildlife. I was glad she had a moment to enjoy something better than ordinary grass.

I wondered if she rarely had moments when she could stop and savor life. I wondered what she thought as she saw her little ones’ scamper through the clover so happy. 

I wondered how long it had been since she had skipped merrily. I wondered when she, like me, stopped leaping and started being so stoic and so grown up.

The microwave beeped interrupting our solitude. I was warming water for tea, a treat for me when I finished cleaning the kitchen. Gazing out the window with my mug cupped in my hands—now free from rubber gloves—I wondered, why aren’t I more like those fawns bouncing in a field of wide open wonder. 

Such simple beauty can inspire and impart strength. In the depth of that moment, I was energized and encouraged. I had such clarity of vision and such peace. 

An ordinary day of chores became extraordinary in those moments. That was a WOW moment–a Window of Wonder moment! Thus, was born the idea for Windows of Wonder (W.O.W.).

I hunger for wonder. Do you?

Between the ordinary slices of my life as a working wife, a mom and a pharmacist, does God sandwich meaty glimpses of His glory? While there are still mounds of meals to be made and loads of clothes to be laundered, does He hide W.O.W. moments between dirty dishes and dirty socks? 

Even though my kitchen window is clouded, can He sharpen my spiritual vision so that it is Windex® clear as I look for the unexpected in the expected routine of my days? Will you walk with me on a spiritual journey looking for wonder, not just in the pages of this book but in the story of your life?

Honestly, my husband—an outdoorsman—has always been more of a nature watcher than me. I watch for sales and coupons. But maybe I can learn from Him how to slow down and appreciate glimpses of God’s glory in nature and in family. Maybe God will speak to me through my work as a pharmacist. 

Since my most cherished job is being a mom, I pray He will provide W.O.W. moments in my upside-down desperate moments of motherhood. After all, W.O.W. when turned upside down does spell “M.O.M.,” right?

Let’s take this journey together searching for wonder! 

Let’s ask God to be our guide. And let’s turn to His Word for inspiration. Though our eyes may still have raccoon remnants of mascara when we peer in the mirror each morning, let’s search for the majestic in the mundane. 

Even if we have to race to roll the garbage cans to the curb in our robes on trash day, can we be still enough to hear Him speak in the daily pace that numbs us to wonder? 

Breathe deep and exhale purposefully with me. It’s a Mount Rushmore-sized challenge to rush less. Will you take the journey with me? 

Together let’s hunger for wonder!

Grab your fork and reading glasses. Let’s feast on each day’s delectable moments making everyday a holiday. Let’s giggle, sigh, weep, and smile…but most of all, let’s bask in the light of His magnificence. 

He who created the sun, the moon and the starfish wants you and me to slow down, relax and experience Windows of Wonder. Let’s be wowed together.