How do you say Grace?

"Grace fills empty spaces, but it can only enter where there is a void to receive it, and it is grace itself which makes this void."

First things first, how are you? Really. Take a moment to pause here and check-in.

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Maybe you’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving with family and need respite and a little introvert time. Or you were alone, grieving a loss, envious of the feast others seem to enjoy so easily.

Perhaps you were protesting the holiday’s troubled history, standing in solidarity with indigenous people across the nation. 

Maybe you had a wonderful day; the pumpkin pie was perfect, and every guest was on their best behavior. Maybe your feet still hurt, and your head is spinning from the growing to-do list to get ready for the next holiday. 

In my experience, chasing the holiday high or simply trying to survive the season both take their toll. 

Curating just the right menu that will serve your sister’s gluten-free diet and grandma’s craving for butter, salt, and all things canned. Promising yourself you’d only shop local, only to wind up on Amazon again, buying last-minute gifts at midnight. Avoiding the unopened box wrapped in pretty paper every time you do laundry because the person it was meant for didn’t survive their last Christmas.

This time of year can be full of anything but presence.

So. How do you say Grace? 

I don’t mean the words you use to bless the food before eating. What does grace feel like in your body? Is it a moment alone in the bathroom between the main course and dessert? A breakdown in the Target parking lot in the safety of your car? Saying yes to splurging on someone you love? Allowing yourself to scroll mindlessly on your phone? (That one is for me).

Is it compassion even when you overindulged? Laughter mixed with tears for the spit-up on your favorite party dress? Permission to take your in-laws and their politics a little less seriously? Angrily wadding up your unfinished to-do list and going sledding instead? 

“Grace fills empty spaces, but it can only enter where there is a void to receive it, and it is grace itself which makes this void." -Simone Weil

I believe it is grace that creates room for grief and joy to sit at the same table. Grace says, ‘Both this and that are true, are welcome here.’ It is the bridge we cross between one experience and another.

What is one way you can let Grace into your life this week? How does it look, feel, taste, smell, and sound? How can you make room in your heart for both/and to be true?

You are loved, 
You are Love,

Mariah

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P.S. Once a month, paid subscribers will have the opportunity to participate in an “art share.” If you have a poem, photograph, song, video, painting, etc. that you’d like to share, please send it to thebarefootbeat@gmail.com. I’ll post monthly compilations of your art on Heartbeats!