Grace

Originally published December 15, 2016

After a recent Wednesday evening at the Awareness Institute, I was holding in some unexpressed feelings and seriously looking towards escaping out the back door, when a friend suddenly appeared in front of me and put her hand on my shoulder. She leaned in towards me, looked me in the eyes and sweetly asked, “How ARE you?” in a gentle, open and wide-eyed way, with a soft smile. I instantly dropped into a deep, feeling place; one of sadness and gratitude, acceptance and forgiveness, and suddenly all of my self-perceived flaws and self-judgments of late came bubbling up as I sank into tears.

You see, my friend was modeling the love and concern I hadn’t been giving myself….the unconditional love and grace I had been unknowingly longing for.

Yes, Grace.

I have been thinking about grace quite a bit lately. Sometimes it takes the unexpected kindness of a loving encounter with another to help us forgive and accept ourselves. To receive that grace, a serendipitous gift of intimacy.

I want to experience more of these moments in my life. How can I remain receptive to these moments of Grace? How can I remain open for opportunities in which to extend Grace, enriching my life and those of others?