A healer friend from South America recently shared this word with me.  "Maestranza" loosely translated means "The people around me helping."  While sometimes it may refer to a team or staff, it can also mean those who help us on our journey.  It may be the stranger who says just the right thing to you at just the right time or the friend who lends a shoulder when you need support.  It can be an unexpected kindness from an anonymous giver or a warm hug from a partner at the end of the day. 

Let us honor our maestranza.  The known and unknown souls who smooth our way, bless our passage and hold Light for our journey.  We thank you. 

"I do not at all understand the mystery of grace -
only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.
                                                                            Anne Lamott

Often when we are setting an intent for our lives, we ask that it manifest “with grace”. Here are a few ways  we can find grace--or allow it to find us.

Cultivate trust in yourself, in your belief system, in your life.  No one can control everything.  Whatever you believe, trust that the information and resources you need are being made available to you.  

Be open to things working out differently than you anticipated.  Even though you may have a firm idea of what is best for you, life (grace) may have other plans.  And those other plans may be far better than anything you could have imagined.

Let go of negative emotions like fear, anger and guilt. These emotions muddle thinking and exhaust personal energy.  If you need to forgive, either yourself or others, work on that.  If you have unresolved issues with your past, get help dealing with them.  Staying stuck in negativity makes it harder to recognize grace when it appears. 

Be of service to others. Allow that service and those you serve to grace your life by widening your horizons, expanding your tolerance and making you a force for grace in the world 

Lastly, practice gratitude for gratitude is a way to invite grace into your life.  Start by naming your blessings.  Some people find a gratitude journal helpful, others practice by making a point to notice 6 things a day for which they are thankful.  Find what works for you, then practice consistently. 

Too often, we recognize grace only in hindsight.  Looking back, we may trace the winding path of a casual remark which led to new career, the book that expanded our consciousness, or the detour from our daily routine which brought us a new relationship. The practices above can help us become aware of grace in the present, in the here and now.  And as our awareness of grace expands, so do the opportunities for receiving it.