Small Graces
Night is closing in. It is time for sleep.
I have walked a quiet path today. I have done no great good, no great harm. I might have wished for more — some dramatic occurrence, something memorable. But there was no more. This was the day I was given, and I have tried to meet it with a humble heart.
How little it seems. We seek perfection in our days, always wanting more for ourselves and our lives, and striving for goals unattainable. We live between the vast infinites of past and future in the thin shaft of light we call 'today.' And yet today is never enough.
Where does it come from, this strange unquenchable human urge for 'more' that is both our blessing and our curse? It has caused us to lift our eyes to the heavens and thread together pieces of the universe until we can glimpse a shadow of the divine creation. Yet to gain this knowledge, we have sometimes lost the mystery of a cloud, the beauty of a garden, the joy of a single step.
We must learn to value the small as well as the great. [...]
"Confucius told his followers, 'Bring peace to the old, have trust in your friends, and cherish the young.'
"Do we really need much more than this? To honor the dawn. To visit a garden. To talk to a friend. To contemplate a cloud. To cherish a meal. To bow our heads before the mystery of the day. Are these not enough?
The world we shape is the world we touch — with our words, our actions, our dreams.
If we should be so lucky as to touch the lives of many, so be it. But if our lot is no more than the setting of a table, or the tending of a garden, or showing in a child a path in a wood, our lives are no less worthy.
I crawl into my bed, feel the growing warmth of the covers, hear the quiet rhythms of my wife's gentle breathing.
Outside, the wind blows softly, brushing a branch from the birch against the house.
To do justice. To love mercy. To walk humbly with our God.
To bring peace to the old. To have trust in our friends. To cherish the young.
Sometimes, it seems, we ask too much. Sometimes we forget that the small graces are enough.
Excerpted from Kent Neburn's book, Small Graces.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What do small graces mean to you? Can you share a personal story of a time you felt complete with the small graces in your life? What helps you value the small just as well as the great?
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16 Past Reflections
On Dec 18, 2017 Barbara wrote :
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On Dec 5, 2017 sakthi wrote :
Wonderful and my deep gratitude for this gift in the emai box.
Reminds me of a scene in Gandhi movie …the whole leadership will be assembled in the ashram to talk about the next steps etc and Gandhi will excuse them to take care of answering a small kid in nursing a wounded goat. A balanced mind of not losing the small while in the big and living in the moment !!!!! Thank You
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On Dec 5, 2017 Manuel Castrillo wrote :
Every day I wake up giving thanks for waking up. I have learned to accept things as they come, not question but confront, with faith and patience, with courage and hope. And also to enjoy and be happy with the little things, with the "Instants" that we sometimes go unnoticed! The day is full of those moments, moments that can take us through infinite paths of well-being and Light.
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On Dec 5, 2017 Mish wrote :
If my words or actions in a day enabled one person to smile , that's enough for me.
1 reply: Me | Post Your Reply
On Dec 5, 2017 Deepak wrote :
Small graces means to do mundane things in life , like picking up trash from the foot path and throwing it in the garbage bin , hearing the birds singing as I go for my morning walk in the early hours of the dawn and connect with my inner self . Small graces mean visiting my ex wife's mother who was sick in the hospital as I wanted to connect with her and find out how she was . Small graces means being and doing things for others however trival it may be which would bring a smile on their faces and would make me happy .
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On Dec 4, 2017 Amy wrote :
Less is more in my little world. I am gifted the grace (by God) to love and serve my husband, parents, mother in law, aunt, grandson, immediate family and whom ever else I come in contact with (having a need). I do NOT strive for perfection...(I simply cling to His). I find myself "wanting" less (STUFF) ... Rather, wanting more and more "special moments". (Like this evening, I observed the moon, rapid movement of clouds, the wind, rain and the sound of a train outside my open window. Later ... Hanging out with my husband and then, going on a "silent retreat", walking my dog by the light of the moon, wind whipping around us ... And a slight baptism from Heaven in the form of precipitation). Full of Grace (Jesus) are these moments. There is ALOT of GREAT in the small! BIG is just an illusion.
1 reply: Meeran | Post Your Reply
On Dec 3, 2017 Kristin Pedemonti wrote :
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On Dec 3, 2017 david doane wrote :
All that is, living and not living, is God incarnate, and is a gift and a grace. The gifts or graces are everything, including this day, my every breath, my every heart beat, my hand, the ability to move and think and feel, the ability to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch, other people, a glass of water, a butterfly, my cat, a tree, a rock, a lifetime, the entire world in which I live. It is difficult for me to differentiate between small and great graces. I think all graces are both small and great. What helps me value and treasure the graces in my life is knowing how precarious and temporary they are and how little control I have. What helps me feel complete with the graces in my life is being aware of and grateful for them.
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On Dec 2, 2017 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
1 reply: Amy | Post Your Reply