sound

Grace: lying in bed beside a husband of 16 years and listening to Felix the cat purring up a storm...an awwww moment!

400 students and 3 hrs. later

It was grade 12 graduation today for Citadel High School students.  Students, although some were ackward and shy going across the stage, had happy looks for the most part.  There was relieve, humour, a few tears, and a sense of accomplishment.  Grace was on the face of the parents and guardians!  Deep looks, wells of emotion, and much love and thank goodness applause.

prom

Today my daughter is going to her prom.  
Grace for me today is seeing how excited she is -as she is not a girly-girl and doesn't like to conform to expected traditions.
She is wearing a lightweight turquoise sari that her uncle brought her from Dubai.  It has dark pink trim and sequined flowers.  Mr. Piltcher offered to make her a crochage at a cheaper price and she was excited -she picked pink roses and white orchids.  Who would have ever guessed?
And today I am the up-do specialist...including the the use of turquoise and pink ribbon, and a sequined-feather bird.  It is great to mom in the best sense of the word.  I didn't think I would have this special opportunity!
I am grateful and graced!

trees

To walk down the street with a canopy of branches just grazing ones head at times; to see an arc of green over the road; to feel the gentle breeze and watch it move through the branches; what a beautiful gift! Grace.

church

Grace today came in church being church. Three churches sat down for conversation to share resources to hire a pastor. No fighting just common pains, vision, reality.

Gamblers Anonymous

I was invited to a GA meeting tonight. A fellow journeyer on this sod, celebrated 18 years. What a celebration! To hear peoples stories is humbling and where true resurrection stories are found today. Living minute by minute, one day at a time...this is pure grace!

Supper

Grace today was found in the sitting down and sharing a meal with the whole family.  We usually do this every night; often though it is a test of patience as conversation "gets out of control", or snide  comments go from one teenager to the next.  Tonight it was peaceful, dare I say normal.  It was grace-filled.

a non-graduation

This evening I am attending, in my mind, what was to be my son's ceremony -of moving from Junior High to Highschool.  I say in my mind because the ceremony is non-existent this year, and we were given no heads-up.  My son will get dressed up this evening, for real, to have a class picture taken at the school.  This will be followed by a half hour reception for the parents -to which the students are not welcome, since there will be food at the dance that follows.
I have phoned and made my complaints at the school and at the School Board level.

Grace for me today will be putting my disappointments aside.  It will be trying to avoid the administration who wants to have me celebrate with them over a piece of cake, as if everything is OK.  Grace will be standing with my son, skipping the reception, and picturing him going across the stage with 400 people clapping -just for him!

aging

Grace came yesterday through an pastoral duty I was dreading. Sometimes I find it difficult to work up the gumption to visit those who can be hard to visit. The person to be visited is in the hospital, doesn't talk much, and has dementia. I often feel helpless, a little comfortable, and wonder what to say. Grace came as the patient lit up when I came to the bed side. The patient took my hand. We held hands for a long time, although we shared a few words, nothing needed to be said. A grace-filled moment.

Grace came today in telecommunication. My mom lives in ON and I live in NS. I called her, we both opened a beer and shared cheers. Although a long way away from each other we had a wonderful talk, as if we were both sitting on my back stoop. Thanks mom (and Alexander Graham Bell) for today's grace-filled moment.

bed-in-a-bag

At the end of this long day, hosting a garage sale at the church (with all proceeds going to community charities outside the church), I came home to a bed that is chic! I bought a bed-in-a-bag, a recycling bag, as the bedding is second-hand. A no guilt make over. I am going to bed early- that is loads of grace for one day; but with new bedding too, priceless.

genesis 49

...Issachar is a strong donkey...Joseph is a fruitful bough...Benjamin is a ravenous  wolf...
When I read such passages in the Bible, I chuckle a little and feel better about the day.  We have all been described like the sons above. Perhaps not called a donkey or a fruitful bough but, "Kimber is a......."
I use sentences like this to describe people all the time.  This passage is comforting because whatever characteristic is ascribed to us it is only one of many.  There are times when I am a donkey, or fruitful, or plain ravenous.  The grace is that I am not anyone of these things all the time -and my friends and family are thankful for that.  

prayer for graduates

Tonight's prayer from the multi-faith service at Citadel High School Halifax.
At this time of celebration we are thankful for the many people who have helped to bring us to this momnet - family, friends, and teachers.  We are especially grateful for the traditions of our families that form the basis of our sense of who we are.

At this time of great change we acknowledge that we have many questions, doubts and fears about our future.  We are leaving the familiarity of today and moving toward an uncertain tomorrow.

In the belief that we are all connected to each other and to you Creator, in ways that we do not begin to understand, we ask these things.

Grant us the COURAGE to seek out those people and places that will contribute to our personal growth and development, recognizing that this might not always make us popular.

Help us to act in ways that HONOUR the lights of the Creator that is in us by developing our gifts and talents in the service of others.  Just as importantly, help us to see and honour Your light that is in everyone that we meet.

Give us the STRENGTH to face the challenges that our lives will bring with grace, dignity and the knowledge that YOur guidance andn support are always available to us.

With lit candles the graduates stood and said this prayer together.  It was a wonderful moment of grace! 

16

Is there grace to be found in being 16?  Is there grace to be found in a parent biting their tongue or on the other hand forthrightly entering confrontation?  I wonder if grace is a striking a balance between both...ignoring and pushing.

Gardening

The worms in my garden were the grace I found today.
As I was working in the earth the worms were everywhere.
Some wiggled fast, others slow...with purpose being worms.
Grace to live out life in the fullness of your being.  I believe that means getting dirty in the process.

Graduation and closing ceremonies

Yesterday I was tested in my endeavours to be grace in the world.  Much time was spent with the administration at Oxford School and the Halifax Regional Board of Education.  Oxford School has decided to not have a Closing Ceremony this year for the Grade 9 students who will be moving on to High School in the fall.  Instead they opted to have a class picture, a 1/2 hour reception for the parents and then a dance.
The school board has asked local schools to refrain from calling the year end events a graduation, as the cost of clothes etc, was getting out of hand.  Instead schools could have a closing ceremony and then refrain from the dances.  Somehow Oxford School has it all mixed up.
My teen, who is leaving Oxford, along with some of his friends are getting dressed up just to have a picture taken and to come home...with no community recognition that they have achieved a great thing (considering as of 2005 statistics, 1 in 10, or 9.8% of students in this province do not graduate from grade 12).  They are not interested in going to the dance.
Grace was tested as I refrained from raising my voice, continued to remember to use "I" statements, tried to listen to the at times "pat" answers on the other end of the phone, and didn't say some of the things I was thinking out loud.
Grace sometimes comes through a rant!

names

Most people throughout their lives are called by many names, often we are named unkindly.  Today I was invited to say Grace -as in a blessing of thanksgiving for lunch.  As the emcee called me forward, she said, "Grace is now going to say ..."
I really liked that.  To be called Grace.  I hope that people use this name for me more often.

essay writing

It is wonderful when one begins to do a project and the farther along one gets the more enjoyable the project is.  I am writing a very long essay entitled, "Contemporary Theology: How Theology has an Impact on Ministry". I just looked down at the clock at it is 1:09am.  Wow! Time can fly by.  It is now time to go to bed.  The grace is I am tired enough that my head will not spin in a thousand different directions and keep me awake.  Pleasant dreams to those who read this post.
 

rain

Grace came down in buckets today. The heavy rain enveloped the world: grass became greener, flowers fuller, pollen washed away, children screamed and giggled through puddles. The dry earth was refreshed and I feel the same way.