Grace is the spirit of the infinite and divine power that moves in this world, through people, manifesting as hope, love, joy and gratitude. I felt this grace in a profound and powerful way when I became a mother, and it changed my view of the world and my place in it. Not overnight, but I do see that the life-altering decision to become a parent did truly alter me – mostly in ways I could never have imagined.
Being open to grace, being aware of it moving in my life is more than a poetic notion, and much more than any religious doctrine I may have learned or come to believe. Inviting the spirit of grace into my daily life is both easy and difficult. Simple and complex.
How is it showing up?
- A gorgeous Saturday afternoon; chilly but sunny; a joyful, crowded playground; the sensations of my body’s ability to chase, slide, balance, and laugh right along with my son.
- The chills I’m getting as I listen to coverage of MLK; inspires me to believe in the possibility of peace; inspires me to act from a place of love rather than a place of resistance.
- The deeping of relationships, that only comes when I go deeper within myself, take care of myself, and take responsibility for how I am showing up in the dynamic.
Once again, I see how noticing and accepting what is happening now – leaving the past in the past and now worrying so much about the future – is inviting grace into my life.
The more I experience life with grace, the sweeter it is.
A beautiful, timely piece KP!
I loved this post and wanted to share this response with you….
I experienced a wonderful class this weekend at the Yoga Journal Conference. In Sarah Powers’ words, “If you don’t expect it, you can simply investigate and enjoy.” Parenting is so much about letting go of what we expect, especially with regard to our children’s behavior.
Judith Lasater offhandedly said that the true test for whether we are living our yoga is how we handle conflict:
Do we demand our own way, or melt away in fear? Next time, she said, stand in tadasan (mountain pose) with your heart open.
So many of our challenges are parents are managing conflict. Conflict between children, conflict within a child, conflict between children and adults. It gets so very much easier if we are not busy demanding our own way (which children usually are) or running away in fear. Demanding and running are both rooted in fear. They overstimulate the central nervous system and create physical, emotional, and spiritual stress.
So if it’s so good for us, why don’t we just stand and open our hearts to conflict? Because it’s *hard*. Because our subconscious mind tells us to “avoid pain!” Our task, then, is to start small. Perhaps we can choose one thing we can solve together, such as letting the child go barefoot if he wants. He’ll either get cold and ask for his shoes, or he won’t. Life will bend his thoughts far better than I ever could, and these small graces build up for us both: I gain confidence in my ability to open my heart, and he gains trust in me (that he is safe and free) and in himself (to make decisions).
When you look at love as the unconditional acceptance of the evolution of others, you become buoyed by its support. Everyone is freer to become closer to the person they truly are, unbound by judgment and fear.
This all begins, as you say, by noticing what is happening, accepting it, then rooting yourself in your truth and opening your heart to what answers may come. In this moment, I experience grace.
Namaste.
Just dropping by.Btw, you website have great content!
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