Everything is Gift: An unexpected trip with unexpected grace

Last month, I was invited on a girls’ trip to Asheville with some local moms, and I really didn’t know what to expect. We’re talkin’ 3 days together in a cabin when our previous time together was maybe sitting on the sidelines together at a soccer game or saving seats at the end of the year awards ceremony. I wasn’t sure what to expect. A few nights before I left, I was sharing my apprehensions with Jason, and he laughed, “Honey, you’re going to have a great time. You always do, and I can’t wait to hear about it.”

He was right.

There was a lot of fun had in those three days in the mountains of Asheville and the surrounding areas. We hiked and ate, laughed until we cried, and ate some more. After these years of the pandemic and social isolation, I think we’ve all learned how deeply we need communion, and it’s easy to grow accustomed to not being open to it and not seeking it. That’s what this group of women offered to me. I could’ve said no and come up with a thousand excuses to not fly to another state for a girls weekend with women that I didn’t know too well. But instead, with Jason’s help and the capability to do it, I said yes.

And, as Sunday approached, I knew that I needed to make some plans to get to Mass. I borrowed a car (thanks, Gina!) and looked up the closest vigil Mass because I’d be travelling on Sunday. I didn’t look at any other information other than the Mass time and driving distance. I ended up at a parish called St. Mary’s and I kid you not, I think it could seat maybe 100 people max. The Mass was beautiful, and they sang my favorite hymn - O God Beyond All Praising. After I shed a few tears and Mass had ended, I walked out to the narthex to head to the car, and I saw a Lighthouse CD stand. There it was, a CD of a talk that I gave a few years ago at a Women’s Silent Retreat.

It was a God wink.

That moment of recollection allowed me to see the moments that I had already missed on that trip and to play closer attention to the ones that were coming after that. I developed deeper friendship with each of those ladies that weekend. Truly the greatest gift was being able to find grace in each of their faces, in their stories, in their laughter, and in their care for one another. I’m so glad I didn’t miss it.

We must become better at recognizing those little winks from God. I am guilty of missing them all too often. If God pursues us in everything, then everything is grace. Every moment has the capacity for His nearness even when we cannot “feel” him near.

How can we practice the presence of God? Prayer. Study. Quiet. Attention. It doesn’t get more practical than that, but I’d love to hear how He’s been winking at you this month. Where has grace fallen unexpectedly for you?