For nearly 20 years I have been making clay hearts with encouraging words on them. They started out as a one time project, (I thought) for a group of women in a hospital recovering from alcohol and drug abuse. I and my friend, Judith were asked to come in and do the "Higher Power" talk. We decided to bring clay hearts with words of inspiration and encouragement written on them as a way of giving these women a tangible sign of hope they could hang onto in early recovery. To my surprise, they caught on and now, people won't let me stop making them. Because I focus so much on these hearts, I can't go anywhere without finding heartshaped rocks, heartshaped bird dropping, heartshaped clouds, you name it. I often go to the beach near where I live on the Oregon Coast and my favorite thing to do is look for heartshaped rocks. They are everywhere. Even tourist who are disbelieving when I tell them what I am looking for, also find them once they start looking. One day as I was listening to a message from my friend on the other side, who died of a brain tumor 5 years ago, she said: " A river of grace flows through you..." This struck me, because so often I just move along in life thinking of myself as rather ordinary, just being me. She didn't point this out to me to single me out and puff me up, but just to let me know that this is how I and all of us are regarded by The Creator, the angels and all of creation. Apparently this is a known fact on the otherside that everyone agrees upon. A river of grace flows through me and you, through all of us and all of every part of our reality. Sometimes it doesn't seem that way when I look out and see what seems like a world going to hell in a handbasket and being guided there by a bunch of idiots. You see, in order to be able to find the heart shaped rocks, you have to be looking for them. In order to experience the river of grace flowing though, I have to be focused on that reality. I wonder what else I might be missing when I am misfocused..... hmmmm
Welcome to the Hearth
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
A River of Grace Flows Through you....
For nearly 20 years I have been making clay hearts with encouraging words on them. They started out as a one time project, (I thought) for a group of women in a hospital recovering from alcohol and drug abuse. I and my friend, Judith were asked to come in and do the "Higher Power" talk. We decided to bring clay hearts with words of inspiration and encouragement written on them as a way of giving these women a tangible sign of hope they could hang onto in early recovery. To my surprise, they caught on and now, people won't let me stop making them. Because I focus so much on these hearts, I can't go anywhere without finding heartshaped rocks, heartshaped bird dropping, heartshaped clouds, you name it. I often go to the beach near where I live on the Oregon Coast and my favorite thing to do is look for heartshaped rocks. They are everywhere. Even tourist who are disbelieving when I tell them what I am looking for, also find them once they start looking. One day as I was listening to a message from my friend on the other side, who died of a brain tumor 5 years ago, she said: " A river of grace flows through you..." This struck me, because so often I just move along in life thinking of myself as rather ordinary, just being me. She didn't point this out to me to single me out and puff me up, but just to let me know that this is how I and all of us are regarded by The Creator, the angels and all of creation. Apparently this is a known fact on the otherside that everyone agrees upon. A river of grace flows through me and you, through all of us and all of every part of our reality. Sometimes it doesn't seem that way when I look out and see what seems like a world going to hell in a handbasket and being guided there by a bunch of idiots. You see, in order to be able to find the heart shaped rocks, you have to be looking for them. In order to experience the river of grace flowing though, I have to be focused on that reality. I wonder what else I might be missing when I am misfocused..... hmmmm
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17 comments:
I love your clay hearts and didn't know their origins -- very cool! I find heart-shaped rocks everywhere too. Heart-shaped oozings of wax from candlemaking too. Haven't seen heart-shaped bird poop though but you can bet I'll be on the lookout now!
Thanks for the reminder to LOOK. Sister Cathy reminds me to look for evidence of God. It's something I need to (choose to, like to) do every day. "A River of Grace Flows Through You" sounds like inspiration for art...
P.S. You? Ordinary? Hardly!
I definitely believe that we all have the river of grace flowing through us. When I get caught up in all the stuff that needs to get done and get hyper-focused on details, I am always grateful when I return to being 'of it'. GOD - the ultimate artist - the evidence is all around us.
Thank you for sharing about your friend and the ongoing communications you have with her - liquid light shining on.
"PEACE is flowing like a river ..."
the river of grace-this is something I am currently trying to find in myself. I layered brick after brick over it and am doing the work to chip through them.
thank you for this post.
I also collect heart-shaped rocks. The River of Grace is what I am working on now...getting out of the way so that it can flow through me. That is why we're here.
...the River of Grace seems to me , like groundwater. flowing, silently slipping, persistantly , working its way through our lives, on deep and subtle levels, and often without our awareness. What an exquisite joy when this grace "springs" up in our path!
At my retirement party, a co-worker I hardly knew, shyly handed me a carefully wrapped little box. Inside , nestled in pink tissue, was a beautiful Angel , with a sweet, peaceful face. On the bottom were the painted words, "A River of Grace"
She was indeed my well spring of grace that day!
I love these little clay hearts, what a fantastic idea..
I love your words, they really touch a place in my soul.. I am desperately trying to find the river of grace xo
This is very first time I have stumbled across your blog and am so very glad I did. So much of what you say rings so true to me on so many levels. My mother and I have collected heart-shaped rocks together for as long as I can remember; we have so many memories attached to those we find. In fact, we used heart rocks as part of my husband and my wedding ceremony. (photo here: http://epiphanygirl.wordpress.com/
seeking-synthesis-about-this-blog/)
Thank you for this "river of grace."
As always, your words resonate. One of the gals at a recent Writers Retreat in Taos, MN makes clay hearts too. Kara (otherwise known as Spirit Doll) gave us each on the night we introduced ourselves to one another, and I have mine sitting here by the computer. I'm going to pay more attention when I'm out walking from now on ... to see what more evidence of God's presence I find (though I see and feel her presence everywhere in most things already).
Hugs and blessings,
Circle shaped rocks (and even horseshoes - who knew they made horseshoes in the shape of circles?) find me everywhere.
Yes it is all about LIGHT and FOCUS!
Such a delight to discover your blog (via The Dream), and to read such words of grace... it has cheered my heart no end. Thank you :-)
God Bless.
By the way I have 2 heart shaped rocks (found on our local beach) on a windowsill where I can see them everyday. A large stone holds a smaller one on top of it... a sort of embrace of hearts. Comforting.
"in order to be able to find the heart shaped rocks, you have to be looking for them" ah, yes...and what else do we miss when we do not look?
thank you for these beautiful words and i love your hearts. i have a little love affair going with hearts myself and it's funny how sometimes i forget that about myself even when i am wearing heart earrings, necklace, etc. if i forget the obvious about myself, how much more may i be missing out in the world?
thank you for this lovely reminder.
i agree with carla...you? ordinary? hardly!!!
You are a revelation, Sister. If there had been Catholic nuns like you when I was going to school, I may have had less of a struggle :)
I look forward to reading your hearth talks regularly.
Colette
That is so cool what you both did for those ladies.
Beautiful rocks beautiful reason for making them.. love that I followed Ms. Robyns advise to stop by your blog!
Pleased to meet you.. NG from Canada a nature lover and spiritual being.
A collection to be proud of! I am always looking, but have gleaned only a few.
Heart shaped rocks, I've never seen. You can believe that the next time I am in Oregon, I will spend more time on the beach looking down.
Hi Gawpo, nice to see that you found your way here.
Annie
What an amazing lady you are....and what a wonderful idea!
It's a long time sonce I moved away from the seaside....and I do miss the crashing sea and pebble picking. I also love sand writing...messages of positivity....hoping that someone somewhere will read it before the tide comes in.
Love and brightest blessings to you,
Sue - The purple Pixie
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