In this month featuring the letter G, I was certain that Grace would appear many times. And so, on this second day of July, while writing this post, I noticed a number of posts scheduled that will indeed talk about grace. Fortunately, grace is abundant and bears writing about many times.
Grace notes are little additions to music. I felt so accomplished when, as a young piano student, I learned to play these soft adornments. While grace notes are unnecessary for the structure of the music, they add a fillip of delight and fun to a tune.
I believe God delights not only in pouring out the necessary grace we need desperately, but also in providing grace notes along the way, little extras that make us realize how well he knows how to delight us.
My eldest daughter and her family moved to a new-to-them house several months ago. In their former garden, they had planted a rose, Lady of Shalott, in memory of the loss of several pregnancies and their hopes for more children. The rose was too big to be moved, so they bade it a fond farewell.
Nicely settled into their new home, they've been watching the garden unfold. This garden was planned by a professional who was happy to come back and walk through it with them, telling them about this and that plant. When the roses began to bloom, I noticed that one bush looked very similar to Lady of Shalott.
"No," my daughter said, "I asked the landscaper and while she couldn't remember the name, she said it wasn't that."
C was content in having a similar rose to the one she had left behind. However, several days later the landscaper called and said, "You were right, that rose is Lady of Shalott."
A grace note. A beautiful embellishment to the rich life C and her husband and daughter already had. A little gift from God, who knew just how to delight this family.
Grace notes - how has God delighted you recently?
Lorrie Orr makes her home on Vancouver Island, but will be driving across Canada to Newfoundland with her husband when this post is published.
Oh my, dear Lorrie, what a lovely post about grace. Grace notes add so much joy to our lives. Each time God includes one in my day, I can't help but delight in His name. What a gracious God we have and serve.
ReplyDeleteThe latest one He shared with me involved hearing from two dear friends on a day I deeply needed to. They had no idea. But God did.
Blessings.
Oh oh oh!!! this story sent shivers up my spine! God is so good and this indeed sounds like a grace note! What a lovely thought! (And the picture is beautiful as well!)
ReplyDeleteI love this - what a sweet story and reminder of God's tender very personal love and grace to each of us. Thanks, Lorie.
ReplyDeleteHello Lorrie. Your post struck a warm place in my soul. I relate to your message in a deep way. My daughter also experienced multiple pregnancy losses. Last spring I planted a memorial garden as a way to remember the babies. I am learning more about gardening these days. Here is my grace note. Last winter I planted pansies so we could have flowers to bloom even in winter. Well, guess what? The pansies are still in bloom even in this summer heat. Perhaps this is the nature of pansies. I, however, recognize them as grace notes. Perhaps the Lord knew I needed such a grace note even when I didn't. Thank you for this beautiful message to bless us all.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post, Lorrie! My soul was 'thrilling' to read about the Lady of Shalott rose in your daughter's new garden. Oh my, a perfect example of God's embellishing grace in our lives. Talk about catching glimpses of heaven in unexpected places. Grace notes indeed! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a mighty and gracious God we serve. Thanks for sharing your heart with us.
ReplyDeleteI love how you liken grace notes in music and in life. Such a beautiful example in the rose bush! It gave me shivers, too.
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