Grace and Love

Grace happens, as surely as the other things that happen.The world is full of reminders of the Grace of the Holy, despite and alongside the illness and disorder of much of the created and human-made world. So today I celebrate a gift of Grace in my life–unmerited (as the Calvinists are fond of saying), unexpected and a continuing presence since I was a teenager. I celebrate the birthday of my life partner, who has been an agent of Grace for me most of my life.

I celebrate the persistence of caring, above, around and through all the winding roads of a life that has contained children and grandchildren, vocations and avocations, exuberant days and days of great grayness.

I celebrate the unfailing faithful presence, despite the parts of our growing selves that have diverged like two roads in a wood.

I celebrate the inquiring mind that has taught me to look up, look out, look around the multi-layered worlds of creation and human enterprise to “see rare beasts and to have excellent adventures.”

I celebrate the energy of new ideas, new horizons, new passions that he has been willing to share and explain, sometimes with great labor.

I celebrate the joie de vivre that he has shown me in teaching me to trust and to hope, to believe that there is sun, even when it is not shining.

I celebrate the gracious forgiveness which has incarnated for me to show me that there are no final defeats in this human enterprise called loving.

And I celebrate the Love that has been an intimation of Divine Love that has stayed with me almost since we met. It is not a perfect Love. It is not a perfect Person. But he is a human gift of God’s Grace who not only has given again and again to me, but has facilitated my own journey to become the Person I am intended to be in my life of Spirit.

I don’t really know how we happened all those years ago. I only know that Grace evokes great gratitude, and on this celebration of my Beloved’s birthday, I give deep thanks to the Holy One for that gift. I pray that his day and new year of life will be showered with the Love of the Triune God, who has taught us together the rhythms of Grace.