This is our Grace-year, as I live
Quick, now! this foolish heart of mine;
Seize thy prerogative!
--Walter de la Mare
What a wonderful, unexpected gift is Leap Year’s extra day and the realization that this is certainly a wonderful year of grace. Quickly we must seize the moment, for this day won’t come again for another four years.
We can begin by asking for just one day’s portion of grace to guide us today. I do this every morning even before I get out of bed.
My favorite way to ask for a daily portion of grace is writer Marjorie Holmes’s prayer, “Just for Today.”
Now let me share something I’ve discovered about grace. In my lifetime I have been on my knees many times. Gratefully, most of my prayers have been answered as I had hoped. Some were not, or at least not as I had expected they would be. Others were delayed until I thought my heart would break. Still others were denied. But never have I asked for just one day’s portion of grace and not received it.
Grace is available for each of us every day - our spiritual daily bread - but we’ve got to remember to ask for it with a grateful heart and try not to worry about whether there will be enough for tomorrow. There will be.
-Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance - A Daybook of Comfort and Joy©1995Oh, God, give me grace for this day.
Not for a lifetime, nor for next week, nor for tomorrow, just for this day.
Direct my thoughts and bless them,
Direct my work and bless it.
Direct the things I say and give them blessing, too.
Direct and bless everything that I think and speak and do.
So that for this one day, just this one day,
I have the gift of grace that comes from Your presence…
If you don’t already have them growing in your garden, bring home a bouquet of daffodils from the grocery or florist to brighten your dining room table. If you have the space, this is the month to begin sowing vegetable and flower seeds indoors. Also, remember to get pansies and primroses, because next month (April) they will be all gone from the stores.
Plant a living Easter basket: Find a basket, line with a plastic liner, and add two inches of potting soil. Sprinkle fast-growing rye grass seed on top of the soil and then cover with another quarter-inch of soil. Water well and cover with a brown paper sack for a few days until the seeds germinate. When the grass sprouts, place the basket in a warm sunny window and continue to water. In a couple of weeks you’ll have a basket of living grass. Add a bow to the handle and tuck in some painted wooden Easter eggs and a small stuffed bunny for a charming springtime centerpiece. This is a delightful hostess gift if you’re expected somewhere for Easter dinner.
The 29th of Feb. was the last Leap Day in a millennial year until the year 2400. Hope you enjoyed it!
Michael
email: Michael@N-Spire.com
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