Grace (full)

It's 9am. I put the dog gate up in the kitchen, snatch my list from the bar (of forgetfulness), and whisk Eva into the Jeep. Grocery shopping. What could be more lovely than a romp around the grocery store in the morning?! The aisles are vacant. The shelves are brimming with products, apparently stocked just for me. Even the few shoppers that galavant through the dairy section are happy to see me (unlike the usual, get out of my way, glance).

As we checked the last items off our list, bounced through the U-scan, and skipped to the parking lot, an unwatchful man in a 1990's 2-door, began to back up into my path. Usually, I would begin to fume at the thought of my daughter and/or I getting hit by someone who is probably texting or starting to light a cigarette. This morning, however, my "grace-bank" was filled and I just smiled at the stranger who obviously had a blind spot and couldn't see us passing. After finishing his reverse, the strangest thing happened. The man in the car realized that he had come close to hitting us (in sloooooow motion) and he actually rolled down his window and apologized (even using the word maam)! There were no obscenities. There wasn't an angry finger shaking my direction. There was a sweet old man, with oxygen tubes for breathing, rolling down his window to apologize for coming so close.

Not only do I want to grocery shop in the mornings, but I am just loving the fact that grace was all over my morning. There was so much peace and joy over my silly trip to the grocery store because grace filled each aisle and spot where Eva and I walked. I found this verse, Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; And this is not your own doing; It is the gift of God..." and I was reminded that grace is a gift that I would like to extend to more people (strangers and friends). It makes a way for a much more joyful day.