What is Grace?

While walking with a friend, I referred to grace. Moving in life with grace. The grace always being here, underneath everything, before everything, beyond everything. Grace.

“What is grace?” she asked.

What is grace?  I have been with that, been with this questions for some time.

What is grace?

How do I know grace?  How do I know grace is here? How do I know that grace is below all of this, behind all of this, beyond all of this?

I know because I have accessed grace. I have felt grace. I have connected to grace.

When?

Most often, it has been after the storm. After the storm rages, after the waves rise and engulf me, crashing over me as I struggle for breath the stillness comes. The calm of the ocean comes and I locate, I find grace in the stillness there.

I have also met grace during the storm. In the midst of it all, she comes, bringing this vision of clarity, ease. Her stillness, the clarity stops me and brings me to the present moment, I realize in that moment how swept up I have become, how I have allowed the stories of my mind to swirl around me, to suck me down this hole, most often alongside self-doubt, worry and self hatred thoughts and words- words I would not speak out loud for others to hear, words that echo, reverberate in the silence of my mind.

She is always here. Always here. She has never left. Only I forgot. She is not lost. She is not gone. I have simply forgotten.

She comes along with a different voice, a silent voice, a voice that is not so domineering, not so forceful. She accompanies a softer voice, a voice of compassion, a voice of acceptance, a voice of love. The voice that soothes a child who is in distress, a voice that wraps itself around you and holds you, rocking you and swaying you, assuring you all is okay, all is as it is meant to be.

And it is. All is as it is meant to be. There is no thing wrong. You are not bad. You are not broken. You are not evil.

You are you. Beautifully being you. Simply being you.

Accept all that arises. When the waves crash and you feel engulfed, know that the ocean is showing you, providing you an opportunity to see that you are always held in loving grace, in a loving embrace.

With grace,

Sara

I recorded this in the early morning, as I woke. You can hear the sleep in my voice accompanied by my yawns. Felt called to record what was arising and share it with you here.