Amazing Grace!

Some of my blog entries I plan for days, or even weeks.  Sometimes, I have no idea what I'm going to write until moments before I sit down and get started.  That was today... but, the word, "grace," has been echoing around in my brain since we sent our students home from school on March 13th. 

Being quarantined - in lock down - sheltered in place - with the same people, for weeks on end is hard, no matter how much you love those people. Jimmy and I have been married for almost 27 years, we work together, AND we spend every summer at home together. We get along great, and still, I really, really just want him to go to camp, already! We take for granted the ability to get away, to take a breather, or to momentarily escape someone else's, perhaps, occasionally, maybe, teeny, tiny annoying habits and behaviors. Equally difficult, if not more so, is being quarantined alone. Even for someone who enjoys their own company and appreciates the freedom of living alone, six weeks (and counting) of isolation, with only grocery store patrons and cashiers for company can definitely get old.

These irritations, though, pale in comparison to the lives that some are forced to live, now that we are mandated to stay at home.  Some situations we can imagine, and we worry about; unsupportive family, abuse, addiction, violence.  Some situations we simply cannot imagine, but we know that worse is out there, and we worry about them, too. 

I've said it a few times to a few people recently:  Now is the time to err on the side of extending grace to everyone, including yourself.  You'll never regret doing so, but you might regret it if you don't.

Outside of divinity, grace is defined as as act of approval, a favor, or pardon.  Grace is a "disposition to, or an act of kindness or courtesy."  Other words associated with grace are benevolence, indulgence, service, or my personal favorite, mercy.  

Understanding that everyone has their own quarantine story, realizing that others may be experiencing pain that we can only imagine, if we're going to get it slightly wrong, let's just give someone more grace than they deserve.  Let's be too kind, too forgiving, too merciful.  I mean, what are we trying to prove by doing otherwise?

The spouse who leaves their socks on the floor right where they took them off?  Grace.
The child who just won't clean up after themselves no matter how much you nag?  Grace.
The shopper who is going the wrong way up a one-way aisle?  Grace. 
The unfriendly cashier?  Grace.
The co-worker who criticizes you?  Grace. 
The boss who snaps at you?  Grace.
The employee who is late again?  Grace.
The student who hasn't yet turned in an e-assignment on time?  Grace.
YOU - when you sit down at the end of the day and feel like you got nothing right, that nothing you did was good enough, and you did a terrible job as a "homeschooling" parent? So. Much. Grace. 

At this moment, we have many choices to make.  Among them, we will choose how we are going to treat other people; whether we are going to be a help or a hindrance to others.  We can choose to pile on to someone's existing troubles, or we can choose to extend grace.  It really is that simple. 

Choose to be too kind, too forgiving, too merciful.  Decide to extend grace, every single time. 
Take care of you. 💖