If you make one request today, make it a wise one. I have wished to be filled with grace. Little did I know it was always within me, just under some layers of reservation. A breath of pause gives rise to an exhale of it in waves.

“Beauty and grace are performed whether we see them or not, least we can do is be there.” -Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Autumn leaves, fallen to make room for something new…you can’t have more grace than that. It goes hand in hand with courage just like a resplendent late autumn leaf, we can create our own version of grace in the midst of the harsh desolation. I’ve grown to appreciate the motives of changing seasons…growth requires biting, frigid unforgiving and unrelenting conditions.

Wherever you find yourself, may courage embrace you in the darkness cloak of this upcoming season and through the discomfort may you ultimately find yourself steeped in warmth, grace and beauty.