Grace Unlimited

Silent Still Point

2009-12-16T15:25:00.003-06:00

This is a quote by Matthew Fox, PH.D from the book, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, edited by Benjamin Shield and Richard Carlson.

Between the emptying of the darkness and the creativity there's a silent stillpoint that we experience as our center, through which light and grace pour.

Grace and Suffering

2009-11-18T15:02:00.000-06:00

"Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors."

Wm. Paul Young
quoted from his book, The Shack

Get Grateful

2009-11-17T15:10:00.000-06:00

"Get grateful and go forward through the door that is opening."

Robert Ohotto

Grace is Real

2009-11-16T15:13:00.000-06:00

"Grace is as real and tangible as sparkling sand on the beach. It's ready to dramatically transform your life at any time - if you are willing to acknowledge and embrace it."

Carolyn Myss

Just What You Need

2009-11-15T15:39:00.000-06:00

Grace is finding a quote that you wrote down a long time ago, and it's just what you needed to read when you found it.

Serenity and Grace

2008-10-06T09:21:00.000-05:00

“All men who live with any degree of serenity live by some assurance of grace.”

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

Morning Grace

2008-10-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

When I hear the peaceful sounds of the early morning: birds singing, the chatter of children gathering at the school bus stop, the neighbor's garage door opening, I know that everything is all right with my world, and I am living in grace.

Growth of Grace

2008-10-04T09:03:00.000-05:00

“The growth of grace is like the polishing of metals. There is first an opaque surface; by and by you see a spark darting out, then a strong light; till at length it sends back a perfect image of the sun that shines upon it.”

Edward Payson (1783-1827)

Mystery of Grace

2008-10-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

"That is the mystery of grace: it never comes too late."

François Mauriac (1885-1970)

Store of Grace

2008-10-02T21:04:00.000-05:00

“A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough today to last him for the next 6 months, nor can he inhale sufficient air into his lungs with one breath to sustain life for a week to come. We are permitted to draw upon God's store of grace from day to day as we need it.”

D. L. Moody

A Place of Peace

2008-10-02T20:49:00.000-05:00

Grace is finding a place of peace, whether it be a garden, a good book, or simply being.

Greatness

2008-09-29T20:40:00.000-05:00

This paraphrase from Lisa Nichols does not contain the word grace, but it speaks of the feeling:

Paraphrased: I am standing in the greatness that the universe has allowed me to be in...

Lisa Nichols

Unfailing Adoration

2008-09-02T20:53:00.000-05:00

On the subject of unfailing adoration, Big Lou in the novel Bridge of Sighs makes this comment: "Didn't that make it like God's grace, something you might not be worthy of, but would be a fool to reject?"

Richard Russo
Author, Bridge of Sighs

Music

2008-07-17T20:50:00.000-05:00

Music is grace outloud.

Loons

2008-07-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite gifts of nature is the sound of loons on a summer night. Lying in bed with the windows open and listening to leaves rustling in the trees, it is a pure gift of grace to hear loons calling to one another across the lake.

Lily Pads

2008-07-08T17:48:00.000-05:00

Delicate and fluid movement is often called gracefulness in the English language. Watching lily pads float and sway and blow in the wind are graceful according to this definition. In terms of what the natural world provides us for free without asking, lily pads are simply grace. In their gracefulness, they show us grace.

Masterpiece

2008-06-30T19:50:00.000-05:00

Grace is watching a toddler create a painting masterpiece and learning one of life's lessons. It doesn't need to perfect. It only needs to be.

Grace Defined

2008-06-23T20:46:00.000-05:00

"Grace. Grace is when something is more beautiful than we deserve, more elegant than it should be."

Quoted from the novel Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman.

Knowing

2008-05-27T13:23:00.000-05:00

Grace is knowing that you are where you're supposed to be at this very moment.

Trees

2008-05-21T20:34:00.000-05:00

While walking around the pond today, I borrowed some of nature's most graceful gifts. I felt the smooth, smooth white bark of young tree. I stood under a blossoming apple tree and took in its delicate aroma as I admired the beauty of the flowers. I watched the reflections of the trees in the water as they rippled in and out of the shadows. I felt grounded by their sturdiness and blessed by their grace.

Graceful Heron

2008-05-17T16:50:00.000-05:00

I was acutely aware that I was being given a special privilege to be able to witness the graceful flight of a heron searching out its perfect fishing spot. I watched a great blue heron soar in and glide down to the edge of a pond, where it blended with the reeds and grasses as it fished for food. It was nature's grace that allowed me to be part of this scene.

Through the Eyes of a Toddler

2008-05-15T16:55:00.000-05:00

Spring, to a three-year-old, is all new, and nature is waiting to be discovered. It's all grace to a little one who doesn't remember seeing these wonders before: the singing birds, the leaves on the trees, the baby ducks. It was grace that allowed me to witness the grandness of a fresh new sunshiny day through the eyes of a toddler.

Spring flowers

2008-05-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

Spring in Minnesota seldom comes quickly, but rather see-saws from chilly sun, to rain, to warmth, only to start the cycle again. The uncertainness of it makes the appearance of spring flowers all the more sweet. Daffodils, a few tulips, the elusive and short-lived blood root in my garden are graceful promises for the sweet warm days to come.

Let Life Happen

2008-05-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

Grace is the space of time when you forget to be afraid or worried or self conscious and just let life happen.

Life is a Gift

2008-04-29T17:30:00.000-05:00

"Life is a gift. Live every day as a thank you note."

Quote from Joanie in Long Beach, read by Oprah on A NEW EARTH series webcast April 28, 2008

Absolute Knowing

2008-04-27T16:44:00.000-05:00

Grace is knowing you'll be all right no matter what.

Way to Live

2008-04-23T21:48:00.002-05:00

"Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live."

Jackie Windspear

Conversations of a Sea Gull

2008-04-12T20:49:00.000-05:00

While doing errands I stopped at a fast food place for a quick lunch. I drove to a far corner of the parking lot to listen to a book on CD while eating in the car. No sooner had I parked than a sea gull landed about four feet from my car and began to have a staring contest with me. No words were exchanged, but I supposed it was expecting a tidbit of food. I threw a piece of lettuce out the window, but the wind prevented it from landing very far from the car.

The gull looked longingly toward the lettuce and even made a motion as if to come closer, but thought better of it. Soon the gull began screeching its eerie sea gull call, and another gull came swooping in. I thought, "How nice. He's telling is friends about the free lunch," but I was wrong. I think he was saying, "All you other gulls out there. Stay away, this car is mine," because he chased the interloper away.

I threw out another piece of lettuce, and the scene was repeated. My gull friend continued to call out intermittently, and several times another gull flew down, only to be chased away. He was never brave enough to come close enough to pick up the lettuce, but kept a vigilant watch. When I drove away, the gull quickly grabbed the lettuce, then I watched him find himself another car with a lunching passenger.

What does this have to do with grace? My CD story was long forgotten in the saga of the panhandling sea gull. Nature's grace provided me with the best story I could have imagined.

Detachment

2008-04-11T17:29:00.000-05:00

"Detachment does not feel apathetic or sad. True detachment feels like grace. It feels like wow, I've just been blessed."

Anisa Aven

Grace Is Hiding

2008-04-08T22:56:00.000-05:00

"Behind every form of suffering, there is grace hiding, concealed. It does not reveal itself until you surrender."

Eckhart Tolle

Mother's Blessing

2008-04-01T16:43:00.000-05:00

Mother's blessing is probably not what you would think. At nearly ninety years old, my mother has lived through many fashion styles, and she has out-lived the need to put fashion above comfort. She said, with surprising emotion, "Sweatshirts are such a blessing! They keep me warmer than almost anything."

The Smell of Spring

2008-03-14T21:15:00.000-05:00

Here in the north, spring is sometimes long in coming. How sweet it feels that first time early in the season that you open the door and you notice that something feels different. It doesn't feel like winter any more. The sun hits your face, and the smell of the air is different. You know there is a promise of spring.

No Judgment Please

2008-03-11T20:45:00.000-05:00

It's easy to judge a person by appearance, and I'm almost always sorry when I do. At a seminar with standing room only, a young man who had body piercings and spiky, multicolored hair was the only person in the room who stood to give his chair to someone else. I admit it. I had been judging his character based on the outer package. It was a lesson in grace and graciousness. I wish I had been the one to stand and give away my chair.

Witnessing Grace

2008-03-01T17:24:00.000-06:00

I watched the interaction of an elderly couple that would have been unremarkable, except for the fact that she had the beginnings of dementia. She obviously needed guidance, for she asked often what she should do next, including the simple act of whether or not she should follow her husband when they left the room. The kindness of his patience moved me. He answered her questions simply, with no sign of irritation in his voice, though I imagine he was asked the same questions over and over each day. I witnessed grace.

Remember grace

2008-02-29T17:52:00.000-06:00

When once our grace we have forgot, nothing goes right.

William Shakespeare

Saying Grace

2008-02-23T10:16:00.000-06:00

Saying a table prayer was a ritual that was part of my young years. It was something I accepted as one part of all the other family routines. I missed the real significance until some time during my adulthood. A few years ago, I realized what this small pause in the day offered. It's a time to stop, reflect, and be grateful. Saying grace is receiving grace.

Luck

2008-02-19T15:20:00.000-06:00

She didn't believe in luck any more. She believed in grace.

paraphrased from the book Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon

Solitary Walk

2008-02-18T14:28:00.000-06:00

There was no sound except the crunch of snow under my feet and the occasional brush of wind through the tops of the trees. There was evidence of animals having walked before me: the tracks of birds leaving a short trail before they flew away, deer tracks that followed the road and then bounded away into the forest, unknown tracks of animals that were partly covered by last night's snowfall. It was a solitary walk in grace.

Grateful heart

2008-02-14T17:10:00.000-06:00

"Grace is available for each of us every day - our spiritual daily bread - but we've got to remember to ask for it with a grateful heart and not worry about whether there will be enough for tomorrow."

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Lost is Found

2008-02-12T13:30:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I lost some gloves. In my thoughts I retraced my steps on that day of errands and vowed to check the lost and found of all my stops. Amazingly, at the post office today, the nice postal clerk handed me my gloves, safe and sound. It was a small thing, but made me giddily happy. Even insignificant acts let me know that I live in a state of grace.

Kindness and Grace

2008-02-10T22:25:00.000-06:00

I choose to rise up out of that storm and see that in moments of desperation, fear, and helplessness, each of us can be a rainbow of hope, doing what we can to extend ourselves in kindness and grace to one another. And I know for sure that there is no them.. there's only us.

Oprah Winfrey

Belly Laugh

2008-02-08T18:38:00.000-06:00

A good all-consuming belly laugh is worth more than all medicine one can buy, but the grace that brings me the friends to laugh with is worth more than all the world to me. When I visit with my friends, and we laugh and laugh about what seems like nothing, I know we have connected at a higher level. The connection between good friends who can laugh together is like no other. It binds us, shields us, and heals us.

Pet Love

2008-02-06T13:25:00.000-06:00

A friend who came to care for my pets while I was away said, "I could never be lonely in your house." When I enter the door after being gone, the "gang" starts up a clamoring welcome. The dog meets me at the door with a doggie grin, and my three birds chatter their birdie greetings. I greet each one of them, and the love among us fills my home. Pets provide unconditional love, asking nothing in return except for us to be there.

Dark to White

2008-02-04T17:26:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's dark clouds that swallowed the evening sunset brought new snowfall today. A new covering of white fluff freshens everything it touches and frosts the trees. It is a cleaner, quieter world that I walk in today.

Into a Cloud

2008-02-03T22:18:00.000-06:00

I was shown the gift of an amazing sight as I was driving toward a beautiful sunset this evening. I pulled off the road to watch as the sun and clouds battled between daylight and twilight. Suddenly, a gray hazy cloud appeared across the entire horizon and began to swallow the sun. The fog was all around the sun, and the sun kept peaking through an ever shrinking opening until finally it was swallowed up. At that very spot where I pulled my car off the road to watch, the sunny day turned to evening. Surely I was existing in grace to have been given such a show of nature.

Bunny Tracks In the Snow

2008-01-31T13:00:00.001-06:00

I walk outside in new fallen snow. It restores my soul. The sounds of the mechanical world are softened by this new blanket of snow. A gift to me is the small animal tracks I find as I walk in meditation: tiny bird feet, some other little unknown imprints, and bunny tracks that lead to nowhere. These are all signs of precious life that share this white world with me.

Kindness of a Stranger

2008-01-29T12:36:00.001-06:00

I witnessed what could have been a traffic mishap that was averted by the kindness of a stranger. At a busy intersection, an elderly driver turned into the wrong lane, meeting traffic head-on. A man stopped his vehicle in front of the elderly person's car, got out, and proceeded to direct the confused driver to a safe path back to the right direction. It could have gone so wrong, with honking, yelling, and bent fenders. Instead, this kind stranger understood.

Dusty Memories

2008-01-27T22:31:00.000-06:00

It was time to remove some of the refrigerator art that had accumulated over the months. I took off a few papers, mostly art from my grandchildren. Stuck in a forgotten corner at the top of the refrigerator was a dusty hand-made valentine from last year. It was a sweet memory - a valentine made by a sweet boy. I dusted it off, smiled, and added it to the pile of memories that will be pasted in my scrap book.

Cup of Tea

2008-01-23T22:37:00.000-06:00

It is very cold here in Minnesota today. After spending the afternoon doing errands and getting in and out of the car, what a treat it is to have a nice warm cup of tea. I am blessed to live where getting warm is no harder than stepping in my cozy house and turning on the heat to start the tea kettle boiling.

AdSense and Grace

2008-01-22T21:56:00.000-06:00

Well! After a few days of puzzling over how to get my AdSense ads back, I finally got it to work! I am a non-techie, and I had simply cut and pasted code into blogger. I looked at all of the suggestions that people provided on the message boards, and and after some hair-pulling sessions I finally got it to work! Grace? I'm not sure if this qualifies, but I'm happy with it, and I'm back!

Fuzzy Socks

2008-01-22T17:05:00.001-06:00

As I tidied up my bedroom this morning, I spotted some new slipper socks that I had not worn yet. You know the kind: soft, warm, with thick fuzzy tops. They were a Christmas present to me. The socks represented to the giver something I didn't need, but something that I would love. And I do. I put them on, and they warmed my soul while they warmed my feet.

The Gift of Health

2008-01-15T11:42:00.000-06:00

This post might well be called the Gift of Illness. I learned to appreciate health after dealing with a long recovery from illness. The greatest gift of my pain was learning unconditional compassion for those who endure physical limitations. Before my illness, I only thought I was compassionate. When I lived with physical limitations, I learned true compassion. I learned not to judge based on physical appearances. Just because someone doesn't look sick doesn't mean he or she is not limited in some way.

Grace of Aging

2008-01-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

I went to an assisted living complex to attend a seminar on health, but I learned more from the audience than I did from the speaker. About half of the meeting attendees were residents of the building, with many using assisted walking devices. These vital, enthusiastic oldsters were eager to learn about how to keep their minds and bodies functioning in top condition. Their energy spilled over into the room. They were a picture of graceful aging.

Sunny Rainbows

2008-01-13T20:34:00.000-06:00

I have a prism hanging in my kitchen window that catches the sunlight and throws hundreds of tiny rainbows bouncing around the walls and ceiling. It never fails to cheer me when I see these tiny miracles. These little sparkles of color are created from the sun shining through clear glass. The colors come from what seems like nothing, yet it is everything. They are miracles of grace.

Tickle of Joy

2008-01-12T11:19:00.000-06:00

I know that I am walking in grace when I have a tickle of joy playing in my heart. I am grateful that I have that wonderful feeling today. I know I'm tuned in to what the universe has to offer me.

Grace and Gratitude for the United States of America

2008-01-11T21:12:00.000-06:00

I take for granted the grace that allows me to live in this country. At a cub scout gathering, we were asked to stand before the flag and say the pledge of allegiance. I was moved with pride for my country. I am so grateful that our young people are being taught patriotism.

New Snow

2008-01-10T21:07:00.000-06:00

A blanket of new snow fell during the night. It wasn't enough to cause anyone undue hardship, but just enough to brighten our winter world. Nature provides cleanliness in such a graceful way.

Swaying Trees

2008-01-09T16:27:00.000-06:00

Each morning, before I get out of bed, and even on moonlit nights I can see the tops of sturdy oak trees through the slats in my window blinds. I marvel at the sturdiness of their limbs. The trees have held mounds of snow, been pelted with rain, and been forced to bend in the wind. Even as they take a battering from storms, they stand tall. Their gracefulness is Grace Unlimited. I can take a lesson from them and learn to sway in a storm while standing firm.

The Gift of Hearing

2008-01-08T11:42:00.000-06:00

The chatter of children playing in the back yard, the crack of a baseball bat, the lonesome sound of a train whistle in the distance. For those of us who have the gift of grace that allows us to hear, these are some of the sounds that live in our memories. Sounds are held like bookmarks in our minds, and they return us to special times and places in our hearts. I close my eyes, listen for the sounds, and I am thankful.

Smile from a Stranger

2008-01-07T22:13:00.000-06:00

How uplifting it is to receive a smile from a stranger for no reason at all. It can happen any time, anywhere. It makes my day. It can happen when I'm standing in a check-out line or walking on the street. When I take the time to really look at the people around me, someone that I've never seen before almost always smiles at me.

Music Music Music

2008-01-06T21:41:00.001-06:00

Music can move me in a way that nothing else can. Have you ever conducted an orchestra? Well, I have, er well, I have pretended to. Today while listening to the Rossini's William Tell Overture, I had the urge to conduct this energetic piece of music. I stood in my kitchen waving a butter knife as my baton and conducted the whole thing. I was staring at the radio, because that's where the music came from, but in my mind I could see those violin bows going back and forth, up and down. Music is something that comes from within us. In its grace, it has no function except to soothe and heal.

Sparkling Water

2008-01-05T14:53:00.000-06:00

It occurred to me while I was running water from the tap, that water, so freely given to us in this country is truly a gift of grace. We can turn on the faucet to get clean water in a second, but we also receive this give in so many other ways. It falls from the sky in the form of snow, sleet, and rain. It is beautiful to look at in its many forms, whether in snowflakes or waterfalls or glistening lakes. It cleans and heals our bodies, and it nourishes our souls.

Laughing Grace

2008-01-04T14:57:00.000-06:00

What can be better than laughing with friends? I have had the fortune of grace to become acquainted with a wonderful group of women between the ages sixty and seventy-eight who clog dance. We no longer have a dance teacher, so we try to learn the steps on our own and teach each other. Laughing at our mistakes and accidental choreography is better therapy for me than any psychiatrist could ever provide.

The Grace of Streaming Sunshine

2008-01-03T11:15:00.000-06:00

Each morning I take a few minutes of quiet time in my office. My routine is always the same. I close the door, close the window shade, and sit on the floor in a special spot to lose myself in meditation. This morning as a approached the office door there was a blinding stream of sunshine coming from the window. I thought to myself, "I can't close the window shade and waste this beautiful sunshine." I positioned myself on the floor in the path of the sunshine, closed my eyes and absorbed its healing warmth. Grace is sunshine on a cold winter day.

Frost on the Window Pane

2008-01-02T12:05:00.000-06:00

I awoke this morning to a sunny blue sky on a crispy cold morning. Some might say that frost on a window pane means time to replace the window. I say that a frosty pattern on a window pane is nothing but grace. I didn't ask for it. It just appeared there overnight in all of its feathery, frosty splendor. The ice crystals that cover the cold glass curl and twist and turn in thousands of tiny patterns. They sparkle as the light tries to shine through. I am overwhelmed with the beauty of that tiny landscape that has formed itself for my enjoyment.

Grace With Geese

2008-01-01T16:08:00.000-06:00

On a beautiful day in late December, I could see that the sunset would be beautiful. I grabbed my camera and headed west in my car toward open country. As I was keeping my eye on the lowering sun and looking for a place to pull off the road, I noticed a small gaggle of geese on the far horizon, flying in and out of a vee formation. I thought to myself how sweet it would have been to get the geese in my sunset photograph, but they had disappeared, and they had been too far away anyway. About five minutes later, they appeared again, flying toward my car, soared over me and then flew out of sight. I was sure they put on a flying show just for me.

Grace - The Story

2007-12-31T20:42:00.000-06:00

About five years ago, the word GRACE stuck in my head. I have no idea what put it there, or why it stuck, but it would not go away. I began thinking about what grace means. The definition for me was condensed into a few short phrases. Grace is a beautiful concept. It is free. It doesn't ask anything in return.

Shortly after I had my "grace moment," a co-worker told me about her new baby granddaughter named Grace. I said that it was a beautiful name. I told her about my recent thoughts on grace, and we chatted for a few minutes about the wonderful concept of grace.

A couple of months later, she was notified that she would be transferred to a different department. I knew that my colleague was moving from her apartment to an even smaller place. Rather than get her something large that she would have to pack, I decided to get her a book of daily spiritual readings as a going away gift.

When I got to the bookstore to purchase the gift, a very nice clerk showed me where the daily reading books were. The first book that she pulled out was by Max Lucado, and it seemed to be just the right one. The clerk showed me several more, but none interested me except the Max Lucado book.

After I got home, I opened up the book to browse through it. The attached page marker was marking a page on -- you guessed it -- GRACE. I left the marker right where it was, wrapped it up and left it on my friend's desk. When she got home, she opened the package to find the book with the grace page marked, and got tears in her eyes, thinking I had remembered our conversation about baby Grace and our conversation about the wonderful concept of grace.

After I told her about finding the book with the grace page marked, we both got tears in our eyes, hugged, and said our goodbyes as co-workers. After all of this time, the same thoughts of grace have never left me. Grace is a gift given with no expectations and no judgments.

Visit this site often to read about every day moments of grace.