It's been quite awhile since I've blogged anything. Years, in fact. So forgive me if I'm out of practice. But today seems like a good day to start again. Today is the last "official" day of Christmas--the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. With sundown tonight, we begin anew in "ordinary time." That seems a bit ironic, doesn't it, as we are in a moment in history that is anything but ordinary. We are masked, quarantined, distanced, boosted, asynchronous, virtual, Zoom-fatigued, variant, unprecedented, pivoting, languishing....the set of vocabulary that has become commonplace in the last two years is familiar to us all. This morning I find myself focusing in prayer on our health care workers. I had the privilege to spend the weekend in prayer with a small group of women as we retreated together to speak about "ordinary faithfulness," and this morning, it is our health care workers who came to mind and heart as I pondered what it means to be faithful in the ordinary events of life. Sure, I can turn my laundry-folding or meal-prepping into an act of love if I give it attention and intentionality. But the folks who are waking up today, still weary and depleted from their last shift, preparing to go into the hospital or clinic or nursing home...they are a special breed of holiness right now. And I want to dedicate this first blog post (after what is more than 10 years) to you. Thank you, dear friends, even if I can't name you personally. Know that you are valued, respected, appreciated, and held in prayer.