Grace

Our understanding of grace takes us to places unknown. As a child, I learned that grace was a special gift of God reserved for a selected few. I was pretty sure I did not qualify.

As a sister of St. Joseph, at the age of 23, I was sent to Denver (where I had grown up). One of my first experiences was the sight of the mountains that I had seen each day as I walked to the bus. What crossed my mind was how they had witnessed to me. They had always stood as a sign of how God would always be present in my life. As I witnessed the scene, I knew that to be grace.

Years later, I saw a painting of an African woman gathering everything on her head as she approached a rushing creek. --toe first.

Chapel on the Rocks , Colorado
Chapel on the Rocks , Colorado
Rocky Mountain range I saw daily on my way to the bus.
Rocky Mountain range I saw daily on my way to the bus.

That woman was GRACE. She had loaded everything on top of her head with both hands and just stepped into the rushing water. I saw that she was grace. I understood that grace is always right in front of us. It Isn’t a matter of being unworthy or of being granted a special gift. It was a personal commitment to seeing her Next Step and intentionally stepping into it.

I have drawn hundreds of mandalas over my lifetime, but there Is always more to learn. Often, I will write my intention on my mandala just to keep me focused. If I am perfectly honest with you, I practically have to trip over GRACE to recognize that it’s there for me. This process has made me more sensitive to using grace when I need it, whether or not I feel it. I hope you will try this yourself, it is amazing!

Graces Received from Mandalas

  • “..each time I participate in the process I find myself awed yet moving closer to wholeness.”
  • “..time to be with all that is surfacing in my life journey.”
  • “This offers gentle supportive moments to live in the present and to stand in one’s truth.”
  • “When I take the time to sit down and create a mandala I always come away peaceful, rejuvenated, usually inspired and it brings me great joy. Sometimes I feel out in left field, but today I was filled with such joy. Either way, I have the sense that | have been in sacred space, which means it is a very safe place for me...”
  • “Sometimes it’s hard to bring the energy and desire to a mandala-making. But as I quiet down and center myself with my God, I know I’m right where I am meant to be.”
  • “This time offers me an opportunity to search deeper and see what surprises are there.”
  • “I so appreciate this time...the deep sharing, and the opportunity to process and ponder. We really came full circle.”