We had a hard day last week. I dreamt of Haiti– vivid, restless dreams full of faces I met there– and realized in the morning it was the 2nd anniversary of their earthquake. My day began with a morning doctoring meeting that required a sitter (and then a friend’s generous offer to fill in when the sitter got the stomach flu). Later I called a friend who’s just moved away, and she told me her husband broke his back. So many heartaches surround us. I tried to read history to the children at lunch, but SweetP talked through the whole thing. I tried reading louder. I took us to the map to find Portugal and Japan… and no one knew either. I asked J to narrate, and he looked at me blankly. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” he asked.
Grace, grace, grace. I need more of it every day. I want to be a fountain of it: to my children, to my husband, to my friends, to those vulnerable ones– sick and frightened and often uninsured– who seek my care at the office.
Will share in the comments a moment of grace you’ve experienced recently– on either end!– as an encouragement to all of us?
And then will you go hug those close to you and pour some grace on them? Thanks.
Learning As We Go 
Thanks so much for sharing, Annie. I too have been under the heaviness of so much need as of late, but last week, we experienced grace at a 6 year old birthday party at McDonald’s! Yes, the last place one would ever think to find it. But just as the day had unfolded with too many requests on our time, energies, cultural flexibilities, we went to Madeline’s friends birthday party at McDonald’s. Jeremy was able to join and as the 6 year olds zoomed around the room playing outrageous games, Jeremy and I were able to sit back, enjoy and almost have a tiny date, chatting, eating an ice cream sunday, being very present to each other and the kids. I can’t tell you how grateful I was for that party, it was completely grace.
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Amen.
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