Gracie ... Day 3

"A child can teach an adult three things:

to be happy for no reason,

to always be busy with something,

and to know how to demand with all his might that which he deserves."

Paulo Coelho

One more stroll around the block before going night night.

It feels very important to me to introduce Miss Grace to church.  Perhaps I'm trying to make up for what I didn't do with my own kids, or Gracie's mom.  I'm not going to spend too much time analyzing it. I'll just take her with me whenever the opportunity arises.

As with most things, timing is everything. And this morning it worked out just right to get to church on time. She was up,  bottled, cerealed, played with and put back down in time for a quick early morning snooze. Then woke up just as it was time to go.  Yeh, it could be just happenstance, but I think
maybe I had a Helping Hand.

Grace was not exactly sure what was going on, but quickly found her groove. She sang every song, raised her hands in praise just like Grammy, and even did a little preaching! She said "hi" (her first and only word) to just about everyone she saw as we passed the peace together. She was blessed by the Fr. Miguel, Mtr. Judi at the communion rail and by a woman who told me Grace is filled with the "spirit." Is it too early to know these things? Are we all filled with the spirit but forget or neglect to remember that unless we are in church?

In his sermon today, Fr. Miguel, challenged us to go to God when the winds of a storm begin to blow. Not to wait until the gusts are tearing down trees and the water is rising. I remember the storm that raged when I first learned that Gracie's mother was pregnant. A teenager and still in high school, none of the adults in her life, including me, thought it was the best time to be having a baby. But I've been a teenager before and I know that timing is not always the first thing people think about in the heat of passion. I believe, however, that God does. (S)He has the answers to the questions we can't even begin ask.  When I found out that Ashley was going to name her baby girl Eleyiana Grace, I knew my prayers to calm the anger words and hurt feelings had been answered.  While I'm pretty confident that God has lots of things to do that take precedence over naming a baby, I think the name Grace as in "the manifestation of favor" was Divinely inspired. In my book babies are God's way of saying the world will go on and our precious Grace is no exception. The baby girl in my granddaughter's womb, seen only by her Creator, was gently kissed by "Almighty grace." May she live into that gift.

According to dictionary.com the word grace is descended from the Latin word, gratia. Ancient Romans,  had three distinct meanings for gratia : a pleasing quality, favor or goodwill and gratitude or thanks. "If you have something to be grateful for you can say thank-you, gratia, gracias, or grazie."

I simply speak my G-baby's name. Eleyiana Grace.

Wishing for you God's favor and peace,
Merry ME