Anne Lamott is one of my favorite writers. She just posted a new blog. It came to me as a lovely Monday morning gift, echoing what I was already feeling today. Her words, “So life. It’s the whole deal. Mixed grille all the way, gorgeous and sad things all mixed up. Us, at our best and worst, in it together; life death, rebirth, and life again.”
Isn’t that the truth? Just like today here in Texas, the sun is shining brightly. The sky is this amazing blue color. It rained all weekend so spring is just bursting forth before our eyes. And, yet in our world, from politics to terror; from lack of food and water to other injustices, so much is not right. I can’t hold lovely springtime and my newsfeed in my heart and spirit at the same time. It’s just reality. Bitter plus sweet equals life.
How do we manage the sad and real weaving its way through the beautiful and tender parts of life? We hold it all lightly. We lift it all up to God’s healing light. We offer up our mixed feelings, relationships and irritations to God’s tender care; not to mention of deepest angers, hurts, resentments, pains and losses. We make it by praying, crying, laughing and letting go; by holding onto each other and being kind.
Oh yes, and by washing all of it, regularly, with buckets and buckets of God’s grace. I’m pretty sure that’s the only way forward, just dripping in grace and tracking it everywhere.
Dr. Cindy Ryan 
LOVE this!
Love the image of dripping and tracking God’s grace. Thank you for being real.