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Grace is a Gift:

Grace is a gift.  It is always and everywhere present.  If Grace is already there for us, any time we desire, how can we deepen our awareness of it?  If Grace is not something we can create on our own, how do we open to receive it?

Grace is Everything Everywhere:

Grace is a power and presence in the Universe that can lighten our load when we accept its Presence.  It is the flow that is within, around, amongst, and through all things everywhere.  Grace can give us strength, fortitude, clarity, peace, and joy.  

In this blog, I share a story of a challenging and busy time, just after the death of my mom.  The winds of Grace blew into my life in a miraculous way to relax both my body and Soul and remind me that I was indeed doing what was mine to do.  

Doing What’s Mine to Do:

My daughter Erin was joining me on a trip to my former family home in Pennsylvania to help my sisters sort through my mother’s belongings.  It was July; my mother had passed away in February.  July is also Erin’s birthday month! 

As we sorted through our schedules to find a good time to get together, the ideal travel time to Pennsylvania (from Hawai’i) fell on Erin’s birthday weekend. 

“Okay, Erin, you have a choice.” I declared as I was finalizing our flights. “Do you want to travel on your birthday, or do you want to travel the day before and spend your birthday somewhere on the west coast?”

Erin replied excitedly, a twinkle in her eyes, “I want to spend my birthday in San Francisco!”

“I will see what I can do to make that happen.” I said, not at all surprised at the quickness with which she decided.  Erin loves San Francisco.

Heading to San Francisco:

Sure enough, the flights to Pennsylvania through San Francisco with a day of layover were easy to get; they didn’t cost much more than flying directly to Pennsylvania through Los Angeles, our normal and usually much less expensive route.  I also found a good place for us to stay on Fisherman’s Wharf, close to all the things Erin wanted to do.

Let’s fast forward past our packing, final travel preparations and the easy flight across the water.  Erin’s birthday arrived and we woke up in San Francisco!  First on Erin’s agenda was the San Francisco Zoo.

Heading to the Zoo:

We hopped into a cab; the driver was happy to share his knowledge of the city along the way making the trip to the zoo extra enjoyable.  He offered to drive us down the steep and winding Lombard Street.

Erin was wide-eyed, happily enjoying both the view of the city from the top of the street and the crazy, twisty experience of riding down this well-known crooked street.  

At the zoo, we perused the possibilities and decided to work our animal viewing around the 1:00 PM Tiger Feeding.  The Penguin display was next door to the tigers, so we hung out there starting about 12:30.

Feeding the Tigers:

As the indoor room with the tiger cages started to fill up, well before 1:00 PM, we decided to move to the indoor tiger exhibit. Erin wanted a front row seat to witness the feeding.  Railings were in place about three feet from the tiger cages, along two of the walls, to keep the crowds at bay and give the tigers a sense of space.  In case you are curious, there were doors in the cages that allowed the tigers to go outside and roam in a bigger habitat; they were closed during the feeding.

Once in the room, we were surrounded by echoing block walls and concrete floor, metal tiger cages, and crowds of people jammed up to the railings.  We managed to weave our way to the front of the crowd and gain a good view of both cages.  We watched as the zookeeper fed the tigers in one of the cages.  This tiger family of three rapidly consumed the bright red raw meat put in their cage.  Next to be fed was the single female, Martha, in an adjacent cage.

Getting Overwhelmed:

That is when the congested atmosphere of the room became overwhelming to me, with its deafening sounds and stifling smells. 

As I reached my limit, I told Erin “The noise and smells are too much for me here.  I need to head to the other side of the room where I will be more comfortable.”  

“I want to stay here.” she replied. 

“Are you okay with me moving back?” I asked.

“Yes, GO.”  she stated clearly, agreeing to connect at the Penguin exhibit after the tiger feeding.   

Finding Some Calm:

I worked my way through the crowd to a slightly calmer section of this cavernous, block-wall room.  Feeling some space here, I noticed my nervous system start to relax a bit.  I took a deep breath, to continue releasing the stress I was feeling, and looked back to watch Martha being fed.  Just like the other tigers, she was devouring her red raw meat, as if in one bite.

Looking Into the Eyes of God:

Suddenly she dropped the meat, lifted her head, and looked directly at me.  I kept my gaze on her, looking directly into her eyes.  It was as though I were looking into the eyes of God.  I felt her gaze pierce through my physicality and look directly into my Soul, for what felt like an eternity, rather than a moment.

What an amazing gift to have a ravenous tiger follow what I perceive as a Divine nudge.  She paused from eating her favorite raw meat, to give me the gift of instantaneously becoming completely relaxed.  I felt more deeply connected to God, the Universe, and the Peace within my own Soul than I had in a long time. 

Accepting the Presence of Grace:

This relaxation carried me forward for many days and weeks, as I gracefully handled all the aspects of our trip, including being with my family as we handled my mother’s affairs.  The heaviness of the grief of losing my mom felt lighter too.  I felt more present and able to simply BE with all that was around me and all that was going on in my Life at the time. 

Divine Nudge:

Of course, this is not something I could have planned.  As I reflected on the experience and the idea that the tiger followed a Divine nudge, I see that I did too! 

I felt uncomfortable in the front row of this tiger exhibit.  I could have stayed where I was and felt miserable, supposedly for my daughter’s sake and her birthday celebration.  Instead, I honored my Divine nudge to take care of myself, knowing that my daughter would be taken care of as well. 

I believe we all have gifts that, through Grace, we are born to bring to the world.  This may include writing a book, building beautiful safe homes for people, or being happy and uplifting those around you.  The list is as endless as the people on the planet.  These are the things that we know innately are ours to do.

Suggestions to Deepen Your Awareness of Grace:

Grace is an element you can tap into to bring your gifts to the world.  Below are some suggestions to deepen your awareness of Grace in your life and allow it to flow.

1. Do what is yours to do.  At the top of this list is taking care of yourself WELL.  I know I sometimes forget this and push to get the next item on my list checked off.  Simply asking the question “Is this mine to do?” has helped me a lot through the years.  You could follow that with “Is this mine to do right now?”  Do what is yours to do and let Grace take care of the rest.
2. Another question I find valuable is from my friend, Patricia Krown.  Ask “What is the next single thing for me to do to be in a state of Divine Grace?”  Taking 1-3 slow deep breaths just before you ask this may allow you to get beyond your busy thinking mind and tap into that wellspring of Grace, in and around us all the time.
3. I also find it helpful to periodically review the Grace Principles from my earlier blog: Loving Awareness, Simple Surrender, and Trusting in a Benevolent Universe. Please see a link below to read that blog post.*

What about you?  Have you had moments of Grace show up in your life unexpectedly?  Has this changed you?  I would love to hear about your experiences. 

I invite you to continue exploring The Art of Ease and Grace with me in future blogs.  

• If you would like to get an email notification when future blogs are posted, please click HERE to join my mailing list.  At this time, my audio blogs are only available by email. 

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~ Carol McNulty-Huffman,

Best-Selling Author & Inspirational Speaker

artofeaseandgrace.com

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A Peek at My Next Blog Post:

Topic: Vision

• Vision is our topic next month.  Once again, the title (and content) of the post will reveal itself between now and then!  LOL

• Visioning is powerful in so many ways.  I look forward to seeing how my words flow around this topic in the next few weeks. 🙂   

Summary of the Three Keys:

• The three keys to living with ease and grace are Vision, Vibration and Grace.  Vision is about setting a Vision for the long-term or an intention for the short-term.  Vibration is about stepping into the Vibration of that Vision, so that it can easily manifest.  Grace is a wind that is always blowing — a power flowing through our experience more and more as we open to receive it.  

• The fact is these keys are already at work in our lives, whether we are aware of it or not!  Noticing these keys allows us to access them more consciously and use them to create a life of greater ease, grace, and flow.

• To learn more about Vision Click HERE
  
  
• To learn more about Vibration Click HERE
  
  
• To learn more about Grace Click HERE*
  
  
• To learn about the Birth of this Blog, and releasing regret, click HERE

We are continuing our conversation about the art of ease and grace, between blog posts, in my private Facebook group (Art of Ease and Grace). Click HERE to request entry.  You can also email me at carol@theartofeaseandgrace.com or send a message through Messenger to make that happen.

If you would like to get an email notification when future blogs are posted, please click HERE to join my mailing list.

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