Grace is the strength I am given to get through a difficult situation
It is sense of peace that washes over me when I have been feeling anxious.
Grace is a gift.
Grace is when I receive forgiveness or an “undeserved” nonmaterial gift from nature, a person, life or the Divine. If it comes from a person, to be grace it would come without any strings attached, without resentment, without fear or a desire for approval– it would come most likely from the other person having experienced grace and wanting to pass it on.
I believe that Grace is about how God is at work helping me with my life. There are so many instances where I know the good Lord was by my side.
I have literally cried because it is very evident.
I believe my first experience
of Grace,
was a few weeks after my first son died…
I was sitting on top of a hill in the grass,
overlooking what used to be called Herring Gut harbour
on Easter Sunday.
I was wearing a white smock dress,
and silk flowers in my hair.
It was chilly . . .
but the seagulls and terns
were riding the currents of wind over my head,
completely unaware
or unconcerned about me.
The water below
was churning restlessly against the rocks.
The beach bushes around me
were swaying,
the grass ruffling in soprano,
my hair tossed by the currents.
Feeling a part of this symphony of movement
opened up something within me
that I hadn’t consciously known existed,
and I could feel my heart opening up
and growing warm.
I was not the focus of this picture . . .
neither was the wind or the ocean,
or the birds,
or the bushes and the grass . . .
we were all one
together.
I felt a part of all things,
and that all things were a part of me.
Death doesn’t separate us . . .
it actually brings us together as one.
It was a revelation I had been straining to find
and that time on the hill
brought it straight to me.
I felt Grace,
but didn’t recognize it by that name at the time.
To quote Julian of Norwich,
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”
Eventually,
many years later
Grace saved me . . .
Grace healed my grief.
Grace. Amazing grace.
When I think of grace, a few things come to mind. But, I think maybe it’s all one thing.
I think of “saying grace” or giving thanks. What a beautiful ritual. Sounds a bit like gratitude.
I think of people that move or just live gracefully. Smoothly, without disruption or disturbance.
I also think of grace as the everyday things that happen to us. All the time. That we rarely notice. Unless we’re in that open and receptive space that allows for grace to be recognized. It’s that staying open to grace that’s tricky. It’s there, whether we recognize it or not.
Yes, Yram. We live in a fast-paste results-driven society. Learning patience gives us extra advantages. We’re able to see multiple sides on an issue easier, get more done, and improve sleep quality.
Grace: the first thought that comes to me…is learning in primary school that grace is a gift from God. To me that means love, goodness, kindness and understanding. Grace is what I should also practice with others…to give people the benefit of the doubt…not jump to conclusions about something that they did or said. Love with all your heart and give grace from your soul…who you are.
Grace can mean a second chance – or third, fourth, fifth, etc. It means being able to maintain a calm mind in the midst of chaos. It means my creator is watching over me. It’s also an exchange of goodwill. And then, of course, it is a gratitude prayer before meals or other occasions.
What does grace mean to me? Until humanity realizes at a cellular level that we are no different from anything else in the Universe—no better or worse—no more important than an insect and no less important than the Sun—the need for power and the need to control will manifest in our species. To put the word “power” in the same phrase with grace is an oxymoron. Did grace keep Jesus from the cross? When we stop fighting, when we stop fleeing, when we stop seeking and start seeing that all life is precious, perhaps, we will become an instrument of life’s awesome wisdom and its need to heal itself in and through us. Instead of creating a dualistic tug of war, perhaps, we will become instruments of an empowering grace, an agape love, a spirit of wholeness that is capable of creating true “kin-dom, not kingdom. I hope we can evolve enough, trust enough, to surrender to this Grace. May we learn to trust the process in both our joy and sorrowful times.
You have expressed this so beautifully,
how could anyone
not see the shine of truth and purity in it?
Would that we might see that day
when others understand
with love…♥
Grace is when, during a baseball game, the batter takes a swing at the pitch, misses, and on the backswing tips or hits the other team’s catcher. The play on that ball is over, the catcher is getting ready to return the ball to the pitcher. And the batter turns slightly toward the catcher to say: “Sorry, are you OK?.”
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Grace is being loved.
When I realize that, I feel a deep peace and contentment.
Grace is the strength I am given to get through a difficult situation
It is sense of peace that washes over me when I have been feeling anxious.
Grace is a gift.
Grace is when I receive forgiveness or an “undeserved” nonmaterial gift from nature, a person, life or the Divine. If it comes from a person, to be grace it would come without any strings attached, without resentment, without fear or a desire for approval– it would come most likely from the other person having experienced grace and wanting to pass it on.
I believe that Grace is about how God is at work helping me with my life. There are so many instances where I know the good Lord was by my side.
I have literally cried because it is very evident.
I believe my first experience
of Grace,
was a few weeks after my first son died…
I was sitting on top of a hill in the grass,
overlooking what used to be called Herring Gut harbour
on Easter Sunday.
I was wearing a white smock dress,
and silk flowers in my hair.
It was chilly . . .
but the seagulls and terns
were riding the currents of wind over my head,
completely unaware
or unconcerned about me.
The water below
was churning restlessly against the rocks.
The beach bushes around me
were swaying,
the grass ruffling in soprano,
my hair tossed by the currents.
Feeling a part of this symphony of movement
opened up something within me
that I hadn’t consciously known existed,
and I could feel my heart opening up
and growing warm.
I was not the focus of this picture . . .
neither was the wind or the ocean,
or the birds,
or the bushes and the grass . . .
we were all one
together.
I felt a part of all things,
and that all things were a part of me.
Death doesn’t separate us . . .
it actually brings us together as one.
It was a revelation I had been straining to find
and that time on the hill
brought it straight to me.
I felt Grace,
but didn’t recognize it by that name at the time.
To quote Julian of Norwich,
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”
Eventually,
many years later
Grace saved me . . .
Grace healed my grief.
This brought tears to my eyes, beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you Sparrow, for your words.
I love the line, “I felt a part of things
and that all things were a part of me”
So beautiful!
Sparrow, thank you.
Beautiful, Sparrow! Thank you for sharing.
Grace. Amazing grace.
When I think of grace, a few things come to mind. But, I think maybe it’s all one thing.
I think of “saying grace” or giving thanks. What a beautiful ritual. Sounds a bit like gratitude.
I think of people that move or just live gracefully. Smoothly, without disruption or disturbance.
I also think of grace as the everyday things that happen to us. All the time. That we rarely notice. Unless we’re in that open and receptive space that allows for grace to be recognized. It’s that staying open to grace that’s tricky. It’s there, whether we recognize it or not.
Two things come to mind. A saying from my childhood:
Patience is a grace
Grace is a virtue
And all who practice it
Will have a beautiful face.
After someone fell and caught themselves, we said they did it with grace.
Yes, Yram. We live in a fast-paste results-driven society. Learning patience gives us extra advantages. We’re able to see multiple sides on an issue easier, get more done, and improve sleep quality.
Grace: the first thought that comes to me…is learning in primary school that grace is a gift from God. To me that means love, goodness, kindness and understanding. Grace is what I should also practice with others…to give people the benefit of the doubt…not jump to conclusions about something that they did or said. Love with all your heart and give grace from your soul…who you are.
Grace can mean a second chance – or third, fourth, fifth, etc. It means being able to maintain a calm mind in the midst of chaos. It means my creator is watching over me. It’s also an exchange of goodwill. And then, of course, it is a gratitude prayer before meals or other occasions.
Living lightly.
To me, Giving others grace means not being so harsh or so critical. Not being tightly winded up, but rather a gentle softening.
What does grace mean to me? Until humanity realizes at a cellular level that we are no different from anything else in the Universe—no better or worse—no more important than an insect and no less important than the Sun—the need for power and the need to control will manifest in our species. To put the word “power” in the same phrase with grace is an oxymoron. Did grace keep Jesus from the cross? When we stop fighting, when we stop fleeing, when we stop seeking and start seeing that all life is precious, perhaps, we will become an instrument of life’s awesome wisdom and its need to heal itself in and through us. Instead of creating a dualistic tug of war, perhaps, we will become instruments of an empowering grace, an agape love, a spirit of wholeness that is capable of creating true “kin-dom, not kingdom. I hope we can evolve enough, trust enough, to surrender to this Grace. May we learn to trust the process in both our joy and sorrowful times.
You have expressed this so beautifully,
how could anyone
not see the shine of truth and purity in it?
Would that we might see that day
when others understand
with love…♥
SPARROW, thank you for your kind words.
I associate grace mostly with dance – also with dignity, goes hand in hand. There is also grace said before a meal.
There’s a fluidity to it, a way being that is both comfortable in the world and making others feel comfortable.
Agree, Laura. We can make the hard stuff look easier. Turn ponds into puddles and puddles into nothing.
Grace is when, during a baseball game, the batter takes a swing at the pitch, misses, and on the backswing tips or hits the other team’s catcher. The play on that ball is over, the catcher is getting ready to return the ball to the pitcher. And the batter turns slightly toward the catcher to say: “Sorry, are you OK?.”