Happy November, everyone! Despite the cold and the early darkness brought upon us by daylight savings time, November tends to be one of my favorite months of the year because I find myself slowed down a bit. I’m not so rushed or hurried. It gives me time to focus on being thankful and grateful. And that helps me be more reflective as I go about my days.
A lot of heavy stuff going on in the world right now. You don’t even need to turn on the news or scroll through social media to feel it. If your antennae is up, you can just feel it. So I thought I’d share some of what’s been on my mind in the meantime:
Fredrick Buechner said that there’s no way to earn grace. “There’s no way to deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream, or earn good looks, or bring about your own birth.”
Love is a grace, like so many of the sweetest things of this world. It can’t be forced. It can only be noticed. Accepted. Given.
Train yourself to notice grace. It surrounds you, so make sure to use all of your senses. The smell of rain is grace. The taste of a home cooked meal is grace. The sound of crunching autumn leaves is grace. So is the sound of your children laughing in the kitchen. A good sleep in a soft bed is grace. Reading a text from a friend is grace. The warmth of a good jacket is grace.
Being loved by someone, anyone, is grace. Loving someone is grace.
Try to love someone and you’ll be frustrated. But allow yourself to love someone, and you’ll find grace. Receive that grace! It will crack your heart open. It will give you new insights into how you can better love yourself, too. You’ll grow to have an appreciation for what Jesus meant by “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
Don’t spend time maintaining regrets. Grace is an ocean, and you’re sinking.
Stepping Back 