Inspired Possibility
  • Home
  • About
    • Testimonials
    • Privacy Policy
  • Work with Me
    • Coming Home to Yourself Coaching
    • Serenity Now Retreats
  • Events
    • Come Home to Yourself Retreat
  • The Book!
    • Book Testimonials
  • Blog
    • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Contact

Grace

11/8/2020

5 Comments

 
Picture
I’ve been pondering “grace” as we move toward our Virtual Mini Retreat on the 11th, Finding Grace.  I wonder if it may be slightly mis-named, as I think grace may be unfindable.  Grace finds you. 

What is grace?  It is not those words we rotely recited at dinner as a child (or maybe, for you, it is). 

You can witness it, experience it, feel it, but it seems to be beyond words.  It’s not something you work at, but rather an ethereal quality that enters into both beautiful and troubling moments of life.  There is an opening to grace, an allowing that happens. 

Grace is present in the pre-dawn hours when a mother sits in the dark, gently rocking her sweet sleeping baby.  Grace is present in the soft kiss on the brow of a dying loved one.  Grace enters in and carries us in the moments we don’t lose it in the midst of rage and confusion – when instead we are able to stand steady and face whatever is here.  When we are able to be clear, confident, and compassionate, even as our voice quakes and our whole being shakes. 

Grace is a Divine presence that encircles us when we come together in times of fierce and gentle love.  Grace holds us when we surrender and allow ourselves to be led.  Grace is also present in the strong actions of protest against injustice and wrong-doing.  When we find the courage to stand up and face our oppressor, and say “no more” in a clear and unwavering stance, grace surely stands by our side. 

Grace is witnessed in the silent prancing of the deer, the smooth flight of the seagull, the head toss of a frolicking horse.  In the breath-taking performance of a ballerina or a singer taken over by a mighty force from within.  Those moments that leave you breathless.  I think grace is present there.

So, how do we “find grace?”  We quiet our minds.  We slow down our busy selves.  We open our hearts and our eyes to notice.  We breathe softly.  We listen deeply.  We love fiercely. 

Grace is in the magic of the rising and setting sun, the changing of the leaves to orange, yellow, and red, in the delicate uniqueness of the snowflake.  Grace can be soft, and it can also be fierce. 

Grace is in the miracle of lives spared in unimaginably treacherous situations.  It is in the reuniting of lost loved ones.  It is in the protection of the imprisoned as they find their way home.  Grace finds us and opens us if we allow it. 

Grace is in the language of the poet, the flow of the dance, the stroke of the artist’s brush, the gentleness of the breeze, and the reflection of the still pond. 

For something that is beyond words, I’ve just found a lot… after all, grace is worthy of our curiosity, our exploration, our inquiry.  Grace deserves to have us sit with her and feel her softness and her strength in the beating of our heart, the pulsing of our veins.  Grace is a life force energy all its own. 

We will not see it in the blustering of an enraged person or in one driven by fear or vengeance.  Does grace exist in fear?  I don’t know, but I do know it can glide in as a balm if we allow it.
 
Grace is admitting when the fight is over and walking away.  Grace is embodied in acceptance, and it walks hand in hand with dignity.  Grace is woven into the tapestry of healing and recovery.  Grace is in the eyes of the one who can look beneath the surface, into the heart and soul of another, and see the essential goodness.  

Grace is in extending compassion to those who have hurt you. It slips into the dark places of pain to say, “May I begin to forgive you in order to release my soul from the agony of so much anger, hatred, and blame.”  Grace says, “I’m sorry.  I was wrong.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.  Please forgive me.”  Grace loves when it seems unreasonable, and grace also holds the boundary that says, I love me too, and this I cannot/will not endure any longer.

Grace will guide us when we ask to be led to it.  In the quiet still moments, ask.  What do you find?  Invite it in.  Let it hold you in troubling times.  What do you feel?  It is worthy of noticing. 

For me, this simple exploration has softened me.  It has slowed my entire being.  It has calmed each cell in this body and soothed my racing mind. 

Grace holds fiercely, but lightly, what she stands for.  Grace is Divine.  It cannot be defined, for words limit its boundlessness, but it can most certainly be felt and seen. 

It is the sparkle in the darkest of times that whispers, “We will be ok.  We will be ok.  We are ok.  We are stronger than we think, and we will get through, but not by kicking and screaming and forcing things to go away.   We will be ok when we accept and allow, and show up to follow our guidance.  We will be ok.” 

Thoughts?  I invite you to sit with the idea of grace.  What comes up for you?  Please share. 

5 Comments
annette berkowitz
11/9/2020 09:43:59 am

Beautifully written Barb! And so inspiring...
Grace finds us, when you we are open to receive it.
For me, its that ethereal place that feels like giving up something, the long hard fought definitions and separateness that we think divide us (our egos et al..), but not really. Its that place where we are OK with the mystery of not understanding everything, and not trying to understand everything, of being OK with and swimming in the quagmire of uncertainty, being part of the mystery much bigger than ourselves and our egos, of living in our beautiful collective human consciousness, living just with curiosity of the unknown...

Reply
Barb
11/9/2020 06:29:52 pm

I so appreciate your reflection, Annette. You've added layers of richness and beauty to this exploration. Being ok with the mystery of not understanding... swimming in the quagmire of uncertainty... being part of the mystery much bigger than ourselves. Soaking all this in. <3

Reply
Carol Moon
11/9/2020 05:06:34 pm

Thanks, Barb, for that beautiful exploration.
For me, grace is allowing things to be as they are. It has kinship to equanimity, when we can embrace truth without grasping or pushing away. Grace trusts in what is happening, and grace finds us when we trust our deepest wisdom. Grace allows us to see others and each situation in their wholeness. Grace does not despair. It's a softening, a releasing, a trusting.
I look forward to exploring this more deeply with our circle coming together Wednesday evening!

Reply
Barb
11/9/2020 06:31:22 pm

Lovely, Carol. Thank you for taking the time to explore with me! I so appreciate what you've added to the conversation. I love the feelings I get from your words..."softening, releasing, trusting..." It will be fun to explore with others on Wednesday!!

Reply
Steve
3/31/2021 08:47:26 am

Very nice, Barb!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe

    About me...

    I am a writer, coach, and teacher, and I love capturing life's many moments through writing, whether that be journalling, blogging, poetry, or essay.  I have always found the written word as a natural way for me to express what lies within.  

    This is the space where we get real.  I will write about my life experiences and things that I find my clients encounter in their daily lives.   

    What's real for you? What would you like me to write about?  Feel free to share with me topics you would like to see discussed and please join in the dialogue through the comment section. Your engagement makes the blog a much richer place to hang out!

    Thank you for joining me on this journey!!    

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All
    Addiction
    #AtoZ Challenge
    Balance
    Biopsy
    Cancer
    Career
    Challenge
    Change
    Choice
    Comfort Zone
    Commitment
    Compassion
    Connection
    Coronoavirus
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Discernment
    Discomfort
    Disconnect
    Dreams
    Election
    Empathy
    Empowerment
    Extraordinary
    Family Recovery
    Freedom
    Grace
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Health
    Holidays
    Hope
    Inner Work
    Inquiry
    Inspiration
    Intention
    Intuition
    Joy
    Kindness
    Letting Go
    Life
    Light
    Logic
    Loving Kindness
    Meditation
    Mental Health
    Mindfulness
    Mom
    National Recovery Month
    New Year
    Overwhelm
    Pause
    Peace
    Perfectionism
    Personal Growth
    Perspective
    Possibility
    Presence
    Procrastination
    Purpose
    Quarantine
    Recovery
    Relationships
    Responsibility
    Rest
    Retreat
    Sadness
    Self Awareness
    Self Care
    Self-care
    Self Compassion
    Self-compassion
    Self Renewal
    Self-renewal
    Slowing Down
    Solstice
    Sport
    Stillness
    Strength
    Substance Use Disorder
    Support
    Thanksgiving
    Time
    Transition
    Wellbeing

    RSS Feed

Barb Klein
Inspired Possibility
585-705-8740
barb@inspiredpossibility.com