Is Grace Unmerited--or Is it One With Who We Are?

Is Grace "unmerited" or is it one with who we are? Have the old definitions lost the beliefs, the knowing, in the soul itself? Could grace be more the open gate to God?

With God's Divinity within us, how is grace unmerited?

To me Grace is a floodgate opened by prayer. Prayer is a part of grace. Prayer is Grace. It's through prayer abundant Grace descends and synchronicity, wonderment begin.

Our lives are our Greek saga, the endless tale, with the choice ever before us: can we, as author David Richo writes in Five Things We Cannot Change, "use our givens as graces?"

Our suffering becomes alchemist, we heal from being "broken open," as Rashani Rea illustrates in her book Beyond Brokenness. Our journey thus flows to translucent grace.

Inherent in our transformation, we have accepted the dark, the light, the gray, the shadows, the losses, the triumphs as a gift given back to ourselves, and a prayer on our knees to God.

Then we have honored our own lives. As Henri Nouwen has written: Love in the open hands.With our givens as graces we are unadorned before God and at home with Divinity.

Grace is one with who we are.

Harvest Moons

A Harvest Moon

We are, we become a harvest moon reflecting God's Light. We never leave this Divine Light.

We may think we do, feel lost, or seemingly create our own spin.

But we are actually held fast.

Our light is Creator Light, our shine, brilliance, and luminosity reflects our evolution over time. We are going somewhere. We are beings of Light.

We are abashed at our irregularities, our rough surfaces. But we are a moon and moons aren't smooth, yet shimmer in the night.

What are we harvesting? We're gathering our greatness, our good works, our sacrifices, the joys, too, of our existence in life. We are whole, we are peace.

I see your light, and it is only yours...yours and God's in an endless

dance of reflection, a dance of honor in the night sky.

We are here to grow our harvest with the talents we possess. I see you. I see beauty. I see God's harvest in all of us. With renewed hope: let us shine.

A Blond Son Reveals His Heart

A Tribute to My Grandson

Die Sohne des Kunstlers

by Christian Leberecht Vogel

A Blond Son Reveals His Heart

(And Where It Came From)

They sat at the table 

Only those two:

Mommy & son's sharing

A breakfast view;

Then Mommy asked

What are you doing, Child? 

He smiled sweetly & from his heart:

Mama, I'm making a gentle smile;

A gentle smile? - 

She giggled and grinned;

Where did it come from

This smile from within?

No surprise each Guardian Angel knows

Loving parents are the roots of 

Where each smile grows; hugs & lovies

Strawberries & oatmeal; 

Is but a part of parents

Who know how you feel;

God Bless Mamas who 

Comfort after each fall;

And Daddies who promise

You're going to grow TALL;

Thank you, Mama & Daddy, 

For loving ME--your own--

Little HAMMY!

Honoring my two year-old

Grandson named Andrew

(Nicknamed Hammy)

The Slippery Slope of Seeking Approval

1. Lupines overlooking Raspberry Island in Alaska ap-prov-al the action of officially agreeing to something or accepting something as satisfactory. "the road plans have been given approval" Synonyms informal acceptance, agreement, consent, assent, permission, leave, sanction, endorsement, ratification, authorization, validation, support, backing, go-ahead, the green light, the nod, the rubber stamp, the OK, the say-so, the thumbs-up, "their proposals went to the board for approval." Native American writer and spiritual shaman, Lynn Andrews, has published many luminary works. One of them offers a different offering, Andrew's Power Deck the Cards of Wisdom. The cards present Native American wisdom for balance and centering. Recently I happened to pull out her power deck and book cards, shuffled them. My mindset is generally: What wisdom can I learn? I was quite stunned--as it is often the case, energy can be magical at times. This was one of those times. On one of her Power cards, she wrote: when the master climbs a summit, he doesn't seek approval from the heavens as approval implies doubt. I find those words vastly powerful because some of us can be swept along, against our own autonomy, on a ride of approval. Then we have already lost ground. We have lost our sense of equality as we inwardly ask: what do you think? Do I have your support with the implication the other's opinion is vastly superior to one's own.  Approval is a jail in a very small town. The only view that can be seen--are those whose opinions one wants to please. The keys are an increase in self esteem, an honoring of oneself, and the letting go of everyone else. Seeking approval takes you out of your own integrity and knowing: the latter being too precious to abandon in a search for validation.  Spiritual Warriors: Thumbs up--on yourself.

Morning Song of the Meadowlark

Eastern Meadowlark - Wikipedia

Or As I Walk my Tightrope Higher


May my notes for Thee
Hold the purity
Of a morning song:
Calls from my humble being,
An authentic self,
With You along;

May I take all slights
And transform them
In THY LIGHT;

Sure they were not meant
To diminish Thee or
Whittle me---

May peace be my constant song
Within a day
Of twenty-four hours
Gifted back
With You along;

Then at the last
Hold me to Thy breast
Secure, Everlasting, Ever Fast.
                                         Amen.

A healing prayer for all Faiths
August 28, 2013

By Connie Nelson Ahlberg

Taught by Nature

Four Loons Webb Lake, Weld, Maine

Taught by Nature

Kissed by the Divine Ones are they

Who need not be taught

That a mother is rich when

She carries a child,

As the loon and babe who

Both rides and glides on her back;

Sacred even before its first cry

Or sound; cherished thereafter;

Never judged by its hue--or backdrop,

Like all the birds which gather

In the spring under a soft sunrise

That nearly makes you weep;

Or the vast night sky in the country

When you have left all the lights behind;

Of the moon whether slivered or whole;

Character has every color,

Eyes that gaze a soul,

Integrity--many feet;

So I, merely one, shall not judge thee

Until many moons after--

We meet.

© 1997 Connie Nelson Ahlberg

In this Moment Who Is Hurting?

St. Vincent de Paul 

For the Vulnerable I See

If Christ or Buddha

Walked 

Among

Us today

Each may say:

See the vulnerable

The old 

The sick--

The ones

Whose minds

Can't make the pieces fit;

Lift the downcast

Whether rich or poor

Stand with the abused;

Support a healing door

Notice the neglected

And confused

Those on the street

With no shoes;

We know not

Where our next

Steps will take us

We each could

Be the one

Who stumbles or breaketh

So hoping

Someone

Might 

Notice might see

The vulnerable

Just like you

Just like me.

By Connie Nelson Ahlberg

August 8, 2013