"The ordinary moments of life can be sacred, if we simply take a moment to notice. This collection of prayers, poems, and meditations offers a brief respite from the hectic, harried pace of our days. Open it when the spirit moves you or when the spirit feels distant--the words will be here to inspire, calm, and encourage you either way. From gifted poet and empathetic pastor Meta Herrick Carlson, Ordinary Blessings collects blessings for loving yourself, enduring hard things, authenticity, living with others, and the rhythms of each day. Pause, take a deep breath, and open these pages to find that you've been standing on holy ground all along."
"Meta Herrick Carlson is a pastor and writer passionate about building connections and courage in liminal spaces. Her theology has been influenced by work with recovery communities and survivors of sexual violence. Meta serves Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities as the campus pastor and redeveloper at the Minnetonka campus. She is a co-creator of the podcast Alter Guild and author of Ordinary Blessings: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Everyday Life (Fortress, 2020). She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three loud, sticky kids. "
"With a friendly, approachable, soothing, and holy voice Meta Herrick Carlson brings the sacred into everyday life--an invaluable blessing." --Angela Denker, author of Red State Christians: Understanding the Voters who Elected Donald Trump "Too often, we consign divine blessings to moments we ourselves deem 'holy enough.' Ordinary Blessings embodies the good news of God's full presence with us no matter when or where we may be, offering space for the spectrum of emotions to be embraced by unconditional love and the promise of goodness to come." --Emmy Kegler, author of One Coin Found: How God's Love Stretches to the Margins "Ordinary Blessings is a gift to anyone paying attention to the emotional rollercoaster of being alive in the world. It is refreshingly honest, funny, and kind, enabling people of any, or no, faith tradition to consider what it means to offer blessing in the face of our day-to-day lived experiences." --Jill E. Crimmings, associate rabbi at Bet Shalom Congregation, Minnetonka, MN "From the most routine moments in life, like walking in bare feet or looking in the mirror, to some of the most remarkable moments, like coming out or sending a child into the world, Ordinary Blessings gently acknowledges the times where we may feel isolated in loneliness, joyful together in celebration, and every space in-between." --Molly Gulsvig, early childhood educator and yoga instructor "In Ordinary Blessings, Meta Herrick Carlson invites us to take a second look at our days through lenses of hope, abundance, and a sense of enough. Her writing is accessible and beautiful, dusting off our stale ideas of prayer and offering us God's healing in the places we hurt the most. Ordinary Blessings is a gift. --Ellie Roscher, author of Play Like a Girl and How Coffee Saved My Life "In Ordinary Blessings, Meta Herrick Carlson helps the reader identify the Holy in the mundane, lifting up the extraordinary gift of everyday life and giving meaning to both its highs and lows. The poetry in this book will have universal appeal to everybody trying to live a life of meaning and intention." --David Locketz, senior rabbi at Bet Shalom Congregation, Minnetonka, MN "A beautiful resource for remembering the blessings that surround us and the richness of daily life." --Sarah Super, founder of Break the Silence
