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Grace, Accepting, Receiving, And Giving Bring True Freedom

A definition of GRACEGiving Freely.Receiving Gratefully.Accepting what is.Considering others.Enjoying the moment.

Grace comes into our souls when we are able to face who we are, what our actions have been, and face ourselves with no excuses, but as honestly as any one person can do.  If we dig down to the bottom of the matter, we find that we do the best we can, with what we know.  Sometimes that falls short of what we in fact, wanted to have happen.  It is impossible to see where the string of consequences, or what we do or don’t do will end.  Hindsight helps us to see where the smallest of our actions have cost us, unfortunately, hindsight all comes too late to be of any use.

Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps the more precious thing is the courage acquired through endeavor, courage that comes form cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one’s actions, courage that could be describes as ‘grace under pressure’ – grace which is renewed repeatedly in the face of harsh, unremitting pressure.

  – Aung San Suu Kyi

The gifts of compassion for intentions gone astray; the gift of acceptance of what is.  The gift of love, for knowing that we can, and will be better.  To love a person is to see all of their magic and to remind them of it when they have forgotten.  That is the beauty of reflection.  When you see the goodness in me, you are also seeing it in yourself.  The same is true of the judgments you make about others, it speaks to something in yourself that you have judged as being “not enough”.  Grace helps us to accept the good and the bad in both ourselves and others.

You can’t pick and choose what parts of her to love. 

  – Heir of Fire, Sarah J Maas

We are all roses with thorns.  Amazonian Queens with warriors blood that rises up when we are challenged.  We are not reduced by the failures, but rather grow stronger through each step past them.  We don’t just go through the storm, we ride through it shaking the world.  There are some who will find fault with us.  Who will throw stones, rocks, and arrows at us.  They are challenged by us not accepting the “norms”.  By us not staying safely inside the box.  What we know is that the only way to truly live life, is to dare greatly.  We might lose our way momentarily, but the winds of courage will blow away the clouds over our heart.  We will win through, even though at times we may want to die.  We came to earth to live our life on purpose.  We don’t have to apologize for doing so.  I may be flawed, but I am still priceless.

Shame says that because I am flawed I am unacceptable.  Grace says that though I am flawed, I am cherished.

  –   Unknown

In life we are tested as we climb up the proverbial mountain.  We reach the top and we think, ‘I made it!’  Test over.  But we forget that we also have to climb down the mountain. It can be as hard to get down as it was to get up the mountain.  I always think of cats.  They climb up into the trees, on the top of roofs etc. . . .  but it is the getting down part that has them crying for help, seeking to be rescued.  In both going up and coming back down, grace is how you are able to navigate through both the darkness and the light.  Accepting the lessons learned, taking them to heart, and processing them into wisdom is the meaning of divine grace.

A Strong Woman is one who feels deeply and loves fiercely.  Her tears flow just as abundantly as her laugher…, A Strong Woman is both soft and powerful, she is both practical and spiritual…, A Strong Woman in her essence is a gift to the world…, A Strong Woman doesn’t “need” a partner to complete her, she is whole in herself…, A Strong Woman is fierce, fearless and independent.  “Sometimes, being strong is to forgive in the name of love, to make someone smile when our own heart is broken, to comfort a friend when we ourselves needed help and to keep the faith when we have lost hope.

  – Brigitte Nicole

When we look at the world today, with so much hate and divisiveness going on, we can get discouraged.  That’s when it is important to put on the cape and become the super hero.  The day needs to be saved.  We need to be the strong woman, who has a heart of love and is full of grace.  Rather than just talking about how it makes us feel, we need to put some actions behind our thoughts and beliefs.  Starting in our own families, our own neighborhoods, we need to show that love is the answer to all of the questions.  Remember how far we have come in society.  Life has always been “some steps forward, and some steps backward”, so don’t let the fear that is being dished out discourage you.  Keep walking forward in faith that you  have won battles in the past, and you will win battles today, and tomorrow.

Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet.  Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped.  Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us.  Charity is expecting the best of each other.

  – Elder Marvin J Ashton

Sometimes in both our personal lives and in society, the breakthrough comes in the breakdown.  Grace comes into courage at the breaking point.  When we are tested to the breaking point, grace helps us to bend.  To be flexible.  To consider what is happening and with peace in our hearts dissipate the clouds of darkness and bring our hearts back into the light.  When we are in the depths of negative emotions, we make assumptions based on limited information, always putting the worst viewpoint to what is happening.  If we can instead seek deeper communications to fully understand what is happening, we find that the light of reason almost always discovers a way to rise above the disaster.  Transcend the challenges by listening to your heart and soul.  You are the one that you have been searching for.

I understood myself only after I destroyed myself.  And only in the process of fixing myself, did I know who I really was.

  –   Sade Andria Zabala 

So let go of things, thoughts, attitudes, and feelings that don’t serve you.  The moment that you accept yourself fully as you are, is when the real journey begins.  You are at that moment delivered into your own beauty and power.  It is in the unfolding of life as we are supposed to be living it that our hearts truly open.  Remember,

You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

  –  A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

Sheryl Silbaugh
Sheryl Silbaughhttp://lemonademakers.org/
SHERYL Silbaugh is a writer, speaker, and transformational coach. She is a Director at Bank of America. She is the founder of LemonadeMakers.org created to inspire people to transform grief into gold. In April 2010, Sheryl suffered the loss of her nephew, who was randomly killed by a gang member. The idea of LemonadeMakers came from her grief. She experienced firsthand the creative power of transformation. She started a small Facebook presence that has grown from 500 followers in July 2015 to over 47,300 in March 2017. She demonstrates how to take life’s lemons and make lemonade. She is a skilled guide for those experiencing transition or loss. When we let go of what no longer serves us, and open ourselves to our soul’s calling, we uncover the treasures of our experience and can let the rest blow away on the winds of healing. She aims to support people to create transformation in every area of their lives. She provides insights on how to collaborate together to manifest their dreams in The LemonadeMakers Club. She teaches how to explore our inner and outer world to see what needs to be transformed. She is gifted in her ability to see patterns in human behavior and asks just the right questions to start unlocking the doors to your life purpose and the unique personal genius that we all have. Her book, “Timeless Treasures” will be published the summer of 2017, a collection of over 90 essays on transformation.

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3 CONVERSATIONS

  1. Sheryl, loved the quotes! A quote from Saint Teresa of Calcutta: “As you grow, you have to still learn. I’m still learning though I am fifty-three years in convent. I am learning from you. WE have to learn from each other. Jesus took a little child an put him in front of the apostles. Love begins here. That little kindness, care, compassion, that is the hidden treasure, the growth in holiness. We know where it is, let us go for it.”

    • Wow – 53 years in a convent is amazing! Such a dedicated life you are living. The little things are so critical. I have always loved the scripture that “he who is faithful in little things, will be faithful in much” – it is the little things that build up the faith to do the bigger and better things.

    • It was Mother Teresa who lived 53 years at the time of her quote in a convent. I could only wish….Thank you Sheryl for your reply

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