lasting gifts.........

"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and the heart of it because in the last analysis, all moments are key moments and life itself is grace."
Frederick Buechner

It is so much easier to turn our back on life, especially when one hits a slushy patch. Sometimes the energy needed to really listen for the lessons.........to hear the aha moment of clarity, is not there when you want it to be. Sometimes we need to be doing other tasks in our busy lives before we can analyze an event or an encounter in the past as a means to process the mystery before we reach an understanding of why it happened in the first place.

Grace shrouded in unfamiliar cold silence doesn't necessarily feel anything but painful at first. It's a different flavour of grace, with a taste of bitterness. But out of bitter can come sweetness. Out of sorrow can come light. Out of brokenness and pain can come beauty. It sometimes needs nuturting time to unravel it's mystery.

Then you are left with a lasting gift........one of growing awareness.