God’s amazing Grace.☀️

Peter awoke as we were assembling for Holy Rosary. Dispirited and gloomy, he wanted no hand act or part in the proceedings. Peter’s narrative is a harrowing one, he and his wife suffered a terrible tragedy many years ago. He threw himself into his work and got on with his life, his wife likewise. Suffering that is not transformed is transmitted, the terrible grief they carry with them is all inside. ‘When we cling to pain, we end up punishing ourselves’. (L. Buscaglia)

Next day, Peter smiles broadly as I enter the cozy Dayroom. ‘You’re here again’, he exclaims, several layers lighter, his kindly face at ease. His whole demeanour welcoming and warm. I am catapulted back to a time on our farm with my beloved Dad. I am standing on the frozen pool, ice shattering beneath my wellies, water seeping out slowly through the cracks as the pool reposes. Here, in this Sacred Space, right before my eyes, ice is cracking too as the Gladsome Light of Christ breaks in on Peter’s frozen heart. God’s amazing Grace.  

Prayer, laughter and song evoke the best every time. A priceless winning combination full of healing and wholeness. What a privilege is mine to be part of something so exquisite, so poignant. To be a cheerleader and not just a spectator, to win the trust of another. 

Every time is like the first time, every time I am filled with the same old astonishment, every time I am altogether humbled and deeply grateful to God.

‘I have never met a soul who set out to satisfy The Lord, who has not been satisfied himself. To have God do His own work through us, even once, is better than a lifetime of human striving’. (Watchman Nee)