Everything is Grace



Gratitude is not a simple emotion or an obvious attitude.
 It is a difficult discipline to consantly reclaim my whole past as the concrete way in which God has led me to this moment and is sending me into the future. 
It is hard precisely because it challenges me to face the painful moments---experiences of rejection and abandonment,feelings of loss and failure---and gradually to discover in them the pruning hands of God purifying my heart for deeper love,stronger hope,and broader faith..


by Henri Nouwen,In My Own Words:compiled by Robert Durback, Chapter 3:Response (Ligouri,Missouri:Ligouri Publications,2001), 72.

__________________________________


“Tita, we badly need a break, we’ve been working too hard,”

cried my two nieces the other day.


I wouldn’t have missed a day at work for nothing…but I did for two days… 

My mother originally thought of it as repose… but the kids were tagging along all day…

They whispered, “We’ll show you what fun is all about,” winking at each other… 

reminding me of Phineas and Ferb... 

oh okay,  they are cherubims...



So, off we went to Calaruega, an ideal place for weddings and retreats…




We had been there December last 

year, but we never really had a

 chance to explore it...  a revisit was 

more likely... 







  
Oh, how we run...

free like birds... 

we had the place to ourselves....

I never felt such freedom in my 

life.... 


  

...I felt so much at one with nature...





and with God...
"Place yourself in the dimensions of infinity and eternity, where there are no boundaries, where there is no end..."
-Karen Katafiasz


_____________________________________________________________


I would really have preferred to be alone... but I realized 
that God wasn't calling me for that... 
I could be so immersed in solitude but if He wasn't 
present there... then it would have been empty...
I was oblivious to everybody else around me...

 then my nieces called me again...

We proceeded to Casita Ysabel... it was at the end of the 
road of Batangas...
Everybody else was complaining... but when we saw it... I 
thought it was worth the long trip... 




We slipped into the beach for awhile...

I had more fun I guess... We forgot about time...

I wasn't thinking of work...


I was just there... 


and for the first time in many days, my soul had its rest.

I am gradually learning that the call to gratitude asks us to say
 "everything is grace." (Weavings)



Comments

  1. SimranMay 28, 2011 at 11:33 PM

    Hi Dear one ,
    Thanks for sharing such a graceful post with such beautiful photos. Fly like a free bird and grasp your goal :)
    Love and wishes to you...
    take care

    ReplyDelete
  2. DebraMay 28, 2011 at 11:56 PM

    A beautiful day in the life of Melissa… wondrous moments enjoying the simple things, the scenery, time shared with the pure of heart (those little ones who hold the keys to the kingdom and lead the way, a breather from life’s stresses and work’s demands. Yes, all is grace to those with eyes wide open. All is grace to those who seek Him in both the simple joys, and even in the pain.

    Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart." ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

    Charming children… exquisite place… splendid message: everything is grace!

    ReplyDelete
  3. JIMMay 29, 2011 at 12:24 AM

    I am happy that you had such a wonderful day.. Looks like a beautiful place and peaceful
    It was great to feel it through you


    Jim

    ReplyDelete
  4. MotifsMay 29, 2011 at 12:42 AM

    You are not the momentary whim of a careless creator experimenting in the laboratory of life. . . You were made with a purpose.[The void] It's that place in our lives where what we've been hanging onto . . . clinging to for dear life . . . is stripped away. It's that place in us where we let go of what we know, what we think we know, and what we want and surrender to the unknown. It is the place of saying and meaning, 'I don't know.' It means standing there with our hands empty for a while, sometimes watching everything we wanted disappear; our self image, our definition of who we thought we should be, the clones we've created of ourselves, the people we thought we had to have, the things we thought were so important to collect and surround ourselves with, the job we were certain was ours, the place we thought we'd live in all our lives. . . Surrender control to the supreme wisdom and authority of God and to the Divine in your soul. Step into the void with courage. Learn to say, I don't know. That's not blind faith. It's pure faith that will allow God and your spirit to lead you wherever your soul wants and needs to go....YOU WILL BE FINE...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mohini PuranikMay 29, 2011 at 12:50 AM

    Hey! Wonderful........day you had! Very lucky to find such blessed time with your loved ones!

    It's really hard to get such moments to spend.

    Really God's grace!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jessica MMay 29, 2011 at 2:03 AM

    I loved this post! Beautiful pictures...they were really touching...I loved the scenery-you and those little ones seemed to be amidst a paradise all to yourselves! I am one for solitude too, and sometimes it can be frustrating when I'm in a place with my kids and would rather seek God more exclusively than answer all the questions they might be asking,all the distractions, etc. It seems like you were able to find gratitude in the present moment, of the beautiful presence of those little ones, and lose yourself in the joy of the moment. Beautiful! That beach looks like a great place to swim...the water is so clear!

    ReplyDelete
  7. IrfanuddinMay 29, 2011 at 10:01 AM

    Lovely post...
    Seems you had gr8 time with lots of funnnnn...:)))

    Bets wishes,
    irfan.

    ReplyDelete
  8. fantasy in practicalityMay 29, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    GRACE IS THE OUTWARD HARMONY OF INWARD SOUL.....william hazlett.

    it is a spiritual heal of a restless mind. you have learned the process, now bring back PEACE to your mind and soul. you need to survive the ups and downs, rest your pain, focus on the priorities of life.

    the first priority is to love yourself. love with grace.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Geeta SinghMay 29, 2011 at 10:17 PM

    amazing post ..liked pic as well as captions ...:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. AlfandiMay 30, 2011 at 4:07 AM

    i chose the forest as my solitude...up on the mountain..cool air, quiet and the smell of pine...

    ReplyDelete

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