The rain began again. 

It fell heavily, 

easily, 

with no meaning 

or intention 

but the fulfilment 

of its own nature, 

which was to fall 

and fall.

~ Helen Garner

Embracing Grace

"Gracefulness has been defined as outward expression of inward harmony of the soul." 

William Hazlitt

The state of grace is a condition in which all growth is effortless. Embracing Grace means to be able to see, feel and appreciate the beauty and grace of any given moment no matter what is happening, no matter whether we judge a particular moment "good" or "bad", no matter what our personal preferences are. Each moment has a gift to offer. It is the skill of being able to see the gift that determines how we live and how we love.

Life is a series of choices that determine our experiences. A number of years ago, I had a sincere desire to not create pain in my life, but to develop the ability to create beauty and joy wherever I am and in the midst of whatever is happening. I chose to develop a practice over a long period of time, of "seeing" and "hearing". By seeing and hearing, I accept what is true, what is happening. I'm present in the moment. Acceptance turns into feeling: The feeling of grace is your emotional recognition of the necessity, purpose, freedom and the appreciation of your rightness and place in existence.

Here are the basics of that practice: No matter what is happening, whether you like it or not, whether it is what you want to be happening or not, turn your focus away from any judgments and place it on what is real and true about what is happening. Then find something to appreciate. This will fuel your energy. The practice is thus, really a practice of appreciation. What I found, was that as I practiced more and more, I became happier. I still experience things I don't like, they're all around me, (like the dreary, rainy day today) but I don't focus my attention on them (I accept the rainy day, because it is raining. Because of the rainy day, I can light some candles, drink a cup of tea and focus on some inside projects that need to get completed. A rainy day is a very simplistic example yet this process has proven to work even with more "serious" conditions). I understand that those things I don't like are simply my judgments or my preferences. They are not necessarily real or true in the larger sense. And they don't matter. They're not important nor are they worth taking seriously or getting upset over. Now I have a lot more time and energy to focus on what's important to me and to create. And what I want to create is beauty...and joy...and art. What do you want to create? And how do you want to express it?

Finding Peace in the Busy-ness

"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. 

Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways,

and they're still beautiful."
~Alice Walker

With my busy schedule and all of the family, home and work obligations, I have found it a challenge lately to balance my creative endeavors...let alone blog about them. I have so many creative projects swirling around in my head and heart trying to find a way out. Providing them the path is my job.

I used to go to the beach to clear my head. But now that I live hours from it, that's not possible. And while I miss it terribly, I have had to try to find other places to go within nature that clear the cobwebs and fuel my soul with inspiration.

I have recently found this beautiful park not too far from my home. Now that it is spring, the perennial garden is blooming and is absolutely gorgeous. So many shapes, colors and varieties of plants. So much inspiration. It's pure enjoyment to walk among all of the beautiful plants and flowers in the late afternoon. It's also just as enjoyable to see others enjoying it as much as I do.