Sun coming up over the ridge in Wilson Holler
Commonplace
A commonplace life, we say, and we sigh;
But why should we sigh as we say?
The commonplace sun in the commonplace sky
Makes up the commonplace day.
The moon and the stars are commonplace things,
The flower that blooms, and the bird that sings;
But sad were the world, and dark our lot,
If flowers failed and the sun shone not.
And God, who sees each separate soul,
Out of commonplace lives makes His beautiful whole.
—Susan Coolidge, A Few More Verses (1889)
Barbara League shared the poem by Coolidge in the epilogue of her wonderful book Letters to Lori – The Family History and Stories of Opal Corn Myers.
League uses the poem to highlight how commonplace people like Opal are able to do extraordinary things by allowing God to lead them.
I’ve always been enamored with commonplace things. I’m not sure how or why I came to be that way, but I recognized early in life that everyday things often makeup the best moments of our lives.
I find great joy in the commonplace things around me. From the changing of the seasons to the daily chores of family life there is beauty in every inch if we but look for it.
Tipper
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“Common place “ is my favorite place !
Fried Potatoes, I made fried potatoes so many, many times for grandpa Carl. He lived to be 98yr olds, got his driver license on March 17th his 98th birthday and died the next month. Lived a healthy life, on his own until that last month. Grandma lived to be 94yr old. He loved loved LOVED fried potatoes. Often times I fried a batch early Christmas Morning to take to him as his Christmas gift. Thanks for reminding me of Grandpa Carl with your cookin potatoes on the wood stove!
thank you for that beautiful poem. It stirs a yearning for yesterday in your heart . I cherish my common life more everyday and miss the days gone.
susie
Hi Tipper,
It is so good to hear that Charles and I are not the only ones that have a commonplace– a place where all of us can go and relax and be ourselves. Not worry about what others think or what it takes to meet our goals. Our beautiful mountains enable us to have that commonplace forever. God Bless–
Kathy and Charles Patterson
There is such joy in the commonplace! It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Laura Ingalls Wilder: “I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” I loved the excerpt from this wonderful book. Thank you, Tipper.
Commonplace is contentment! God bless!
I agree. It’s so easy to take things for granted and not even look up to see and hear what is around us. I am trying to be more conscious of that this year.
I love my commonplace life. Being with my family is what my life is all about. I find joy in everyday commonplace things like cooking, cleaning…and then enjoying a clean house, playing with my grandchildren, watching a movie with my hubby, planning our annual Easter egg hunt, sitting in church on Sunday morning, and so many other commonplace things we do each day. Of course, I enjoy a little vacation now and then, but home is my happy place. I never feel like I need to chase the wind.
Well said!
Wonderful poem. I agree with others. The simple commonplace things are so satisfying if you take the time to notice. As you have spread these practices in your family with the hawks and rocks, vegetables and flowers, even little Ira looking closely to say, “Hey, bug”, reminds us to appreciate the commonplace things in our lives. It is sad to encounter those who are looking over these things. Thanks again.
I love the poem! I’m a common place person. I’m 90 and it took me back to my home many years ago to mom that would agree to this .
Amen Tipper! It is the simple and common place things in our everyday life that make up what is beautiful, and those precious memories we have when we look back, either at the end of a day or months and years later.
ah man.. I meant do keep us grounded. I yelled at the dog and it broke my train of thought. sorry about that!
Good morning Tipper and everyone,
I think common place is where our roots start. They don’t keep us tethered, but they don’t keep us grounded. I moved around a lot as a kid and teen. And I believe it was the common place rooted in me, that kept me out of trouble. I grew up in a single parent home and was what they call a latch key kid. I could have done anything I wanted, found all kinds of trouble and mischief to get into, but I chose not to because my roots were telling me not to! I’d hear my Dad say be good. I’d hear one of my siblings say, don’t do it, Ma will tan your hide! So, in my heart, I am thankful for common place keeping me on a good path.
We always used just the word “common” to mean the same thing. During school years the classes had the town kids and the rural kids. While just about everyone was poor, the rural kids were common folk. We lived on the edge of town so I wasn’t in either group. My mother was the firetower lady and my father worked in a textile mill in the town but we were as common as could be. We didn’t have a garden until we moved from the tower as the hill could have been a rock quarry. When I was 16 we moved 5 miles away and now we were common folk.
I went to college and became an engineer because my mother believed in education. I was 3rd to graduate college on both sides of the family tree. I remember an aunt always telling my father he was wasting money on sending my brother and I to school. She was common folk too. I worked for the same company for 37 years. After 24 years I moved north to Ohio. My wife and daughter immediately lost their accent. I never have and still sound as common folk. I owe my mother and father for making me common and I am grateful.
Common folk like redneck have good traits and bad traits. I like being common myself or redneck because I see it as belonging to the earth, soil, woodlands. Only when the weather keeps me in do I not walk in my trees. At 78 I have 100 tree seedlings on order to be planted in April.
In all my travels, I have never liked the big cities. I wanted to see the country side and what people grew. I liked the parks and trails. We always looked for the farmers market.
The definition given for commonfolk is the general masses and public. I don’t agree with that definition, but can’t put what I feel in words.
Beautiful and so true!
Good morning Tipper and acorns, I purchased the book ‘Letters to Lori’, and it’s definitely a book I will be reading more than once. It’s an excellent book! I’m a commonplace person and I love my commonplace life. Most days it’s simple and uncomplicated, and that’s the way I like it. I’m praying everyone has a wonderful day!
have a great day, I’m seeing more doctors today, thank you for praying for me and my brother God bless you very much
So true!
Amen.
If I didn’t have commonplace things in my childhood memory, I wouldn’t have much to think about. I agree that everyday things make up the best part of our lives. Lavish things have never impressed me.
Enjoyed reading today’s post. Commonplace is definitely me!
Randy-I know you will enjoy reading about Opal!!
I don’t suppose we’d have much of a grasp on things if there weren’t a few commonplaces we knew we could count on as all the novel stuff comes up in our lives.
Love that poem.
Amen Tipper.
Tbe simple things in life bring great joy. Everything else is icing on the cake.
Happy Spring to you and yours.
Beautiful poem and yes, I too agree.
I lead a commonplace life. I’m a retired elementary school secretary. I loved my job but it’s stressful when so many people need you at the same time. I love being home and in my garden or reading in my rocking chair. I’m contented and commonplace.
The other day you spoke of a book called Dory. Would you tell me who the author is and if that is the full title of the book?
Thank you and bless you.
Absolutely. Well said
Amen!
I, too, treasure the common place moments and places in life. This morning I chose to get up at 5:15 so I could enjoy the peaceful early morning hours and watch the sun come up. While feeding the kitty boys(I inherited my grandcats this past Oct to help my granddaughter who became a new momma in June♡)I just stood on the backporch and listened as all the frogs, toads, spring peepers and such were still singing their overnight songs. Commonplace things are such a joy to me and make me always feel blessed to have always appreciated them♡ Good morning, Tipper, Matt, Paul and the Acorn family. May this day bring you happiness ♡
I so agree with you Tipper. That is the most beautiful way to live, Especially in the world today! Take time to smell flowers, stop on the side of the road to watch young children playing their first game of baseball. Stop in a church you have never been to and say a simple prayer. Lay on the lawn upside down and look at the stars. Look at your Grandmothers house and see a night light from your bedroom window. I heard Corie say that about Granny. When I was living at home I could see a neighboring home from my childhood bedroom and watched their bedroom light, amazing how much peace that can bring to a child growing up! Or to an adult as well. It is truly the smallest things in life that weave the fabric of our existence.
You have my mind running this morning. You have a way of doing that. I think I ought to do a bible search for “common” and see what I find. I would say though that your joy in common things removes one feature we often associate with common things; and that is taking them for granted. You are not doing that. You remind me of Peter going fishing. They weren’t doing any good until the Lord came. Then they had a campfire meal on the beach and afterward the Lord asked Peter, “Lovest thou me more than these?” And what were “these”? They were common things; the sea, the sun, the wind, the food, the fellowship, the boat, the catching, the providing. Peter loved them and the Lord knew it. There wasn’t a thing wrong with any of it. At the time, he didn’t know but he was being called to something he would love more. And that made him an uncommon common man.
I agree! I love my commonplace, it has everything and everyone I love there. The sun comes up and goes down and the beauty that surrounds us is from our Savior!
Your last paragraph holds two of the most beautiful and true sentences I’ve ever read in my 83 years of life. Going to keep them in my heart. Thanks for always sharing with us what’s in yours and others like this poem.
Good morning, Tipper and Acorns. This most glorious part of my day is when I can go outside before sunrise on a calm, clear morning and experience the “crack” of Dawn. It always fills me with joy and glory. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Holler in my prayers. Love ya.
I agree! Love the poem.
Yes, I definitely enjoy the commonplace things of life. I enjoy God’s nature, the rising and setting of the sun, the awakening of the trees and flowers each spring, and observing the singing birds. There is pleasure in so much of simple things and to thank God for giving us life.
Love this. So true.
I agree
I have been reading the book “Letters To Lori.” I am a 100% simple commonplace man. The simple commonplace things in life have brought me joy and happiness throughout my lifetime. Both mine and my wife’s family and our friends were all commonplace folks. Going back a few days, the smell of fresh plowed dirt and wild onions from a fresh mowed yard are “nectar” to me.
Randy, how about the scent of a shell you just fired? That has always been one of my favorites in the smell department. Another–and you might find this weird– is the smell of rubber at the discount tire store. Those are right up there with your plowed dirt and wild onions.
Gene, that is another good smell especially if out bird hunting. I always have problems with any brand of shells I bought or even hand loaded, judging by the way the birds kept flying after I had shot, my shells didn’t have any shot in them! I would tell my hunting buddies, you have just witnessed a miracle, a dead bird that is still able to fly!
After 38 years of smelling rubber at Michelin tire, the smell of rubber makes me have nightmares! Raw natural rubber STINKS especially if it is heated up. It wasn’t the smell of the processed rubber blends that was so bad as it was the smell of sulphur that was used in rubber. It would get all in your clothes and the pores of your skin. I caused a disturbance at CVS one time after stopping by after work, one of their employees thought someone was striking matches in the store.