grace...

...i find that waking up early, before anyone else rises, and sitting on my deck with a cup of coffee to watch the sun rise and listen to the birds, is one of my favorite ways to start the day... just a little bit of quiet to calm my thoughts before a day filled with the many activities and adventures that go along with parenting, work, and life in general. this week, though, i've been needing a little bit more quiet in my life. i found myself wishing i was up at the farm, where i could walk down to the lake and sit watching the waves crash against the rocks. then i realized that while i didn't have that option, i did have some water nearby, so i've taken to grabbing my cup of coffee, and heading down to our neighborhood pond to watch the sun rise










this small shift in thinking, of being grateful for what i do have, rather than what i was wishing i did, was a reminder to me of how to approach other things in my life.

and then just when i felt i needed it the most, i saw my grandmother - the woman who, to me emboddies the word grace - in someone the other day. it was in the way this older woman put her arm around her granddaughter's waist, and smiled at her. it took my breath away, it reminded me so much of her - all at once the heart-stopping pain of losing her, coupled with a feeling of calm, the calm i always felt in her presence. and i knew she was there with me, bringing me a reminder of how she faced things, always with grace. that i could chose to do the same.