November 8 2021

By: Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, November 8, 2021

Grief, grace and gratitude have many connections. As I wrote last week, when we lose what we’re grateful for we grieve. When we’re grieving, we experience moments of gratitude. And grace is present in both the grief and the gratitude. But grace is a curious concept. As Anne Lamott wrote, “I do not understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.” Sometimes others offer us grace – empathy, a kindness, forgiveness or generosity. Sometimes grace seems to blow in from nowhere and leave us feeling whole in times of brokenness. Perhaps life itself is grace. I think of grief, grace and gratitude of three strands crossing and connecting with one another in the same braid, the braid of life. 

Leave a comment
Name*:
Email:
Comment*:

Comments

Please wait

Previous Posts

May 29 2023

We wish you all a meaningful Memorial Day as we honor all the men and women who died while serving in the military.

May 22 2023

This poem by Ellen Bass speaks to this month’s theme, “The Risk of Love Is Loss.” of “Tears are Sacred” with this week’s poem by JD   “The Thing Is To love life, to love it even When you h...

May 15 2023

I ended last week’s post about “The Risk of Love Is Loss” with the comment that being wholly human is experiencing the full spectrum of life’s emotions and looking for hope, beauty, and transformat...

May 8 2023

As we continue with our theme of “The Risk of Love Is Loss,” I’ll share again the Dan Moseley quote, “To live is to love, to love is to lose, to lose is to live.” This cycle plays out in our bodies...

May 1 2023

This month our theme is "The Risk of Love Is Loss." This is a reality. When we love someone or something, we risk losing it. As Dan Moseley wrote, "To live is to love,...

April 24 2023

I close this month’s theme of “Tears are Sacred” with this week’s poem by JD Stillwater. Tidal Pools Tears, like all prayers, trickle downhill to the sea, where they mingle with salted sorrows of...

April 17 2023

Continuing with this month’s theme of “Tears are Sacred,” I share these words from Eknath Easwaran in his book, Original Goodness: We can spend the better part of our lives attempting to construct...

April 10 2023

Here’s a poem by Jodie Senkyrik about our theme, “Tears are Sacred.” DO NOT WIPE YOUR TEARS AWAY Do not wipe your tears away. Let them flow down your cheek. Let them create a stream on your face t...

April 3 2023

This month our theme is “Tears are Sacred.” We all have opinions about tears. Some of us are comfortable letting them flow and others not as much.  Scientists have found that tears are healthy...

March 27 2023

To close this month’s theme of “Grief is Loss in Pieces,” I’ll share these words by author Nick Cave: I have learned that things get better, in time. I know that fundamentally.... I also know th...