Grace Nichols Quotes

When you start to feel like things should have been better this year, remember the mountains and valleys that got you here. They are not accidents, and those moments weren't in vain. You are not the same. You have grown and you are growing. You are breathing, you are living, you are wrapped in endless, boundless grace. And things will get better. There is more to you than yesterday.

I have crossed an ocean I have lost my tongue from the root of the old one a new one has sprung

ضوء الشمعة ــــــــــ ضوء الشمعة دائماً يأتى ليلاً تومض على السقف بضوئها الضعيف كطفلة أحدق بصعوبة عبر الظلام متذكرة القول الشعبى القديم "ضوء الشمعة يعنى أن الضوء الأقوى سيأتى أن الضوء الأقوى سيحدث" و لكننى لا أستطيع أن أستريح فضوء الشمعة كان سحراً و خطراً له وظيفة أن يومض و يخبو بقوة كالموت.

Not every skin-teeth is a smile 'Massa' if you see me smiling when you pass if you see me bending when you ask Know that I smile know that I bend only the better to rise and strike again

شعار المرأة السوداء البدينة على باب غرفة نومها" أن تموت ممتلئاً بالأمل/ أفضل من أن تعيش بيأسٍ هزيل.

Under blue skies, on cracked rocks, in dry heat, in desert land, grace is the hand that is never out of reach reminding you: you are not weak because you are lonely.

And in those moments where the sun is setting and the house is quiet and you are weary from the day, may you know that there is grace for you in that space, and no amount of heaviness or loneliness can take that away. And because of that grace, you are free to slow down. You are free to breathe and rest, no matter the things not sorted out. There might be some mystery here and there might be longing, wondering, and waiting. But there will also be boundless peace that goes beyond any understanding, running wild like a river through everything, no matter how heavy these moments feel. So rest easy, when everything is approaching. Tomorrow is surely coming, but in the hours in between, you are free to rest till then.

whatever tongue we speak the old ghost asserts itself in dusky echoes

In her lowest place she found the grace, the strength, the courage, the room, the space to move and live and breathe again.

I hope you know it is okay to lean into the grace that reminds you things will come together in the way they were supposed to.

RATHER THAN WORRY ABOUT CREATING A LIFE THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE, SHE TURNED HER ATTENTION TO CREATING A LIFE THAT WAS BRAVE. SHE TURNED HER ATTENTION TO BEAUTY OVER PERFECTION, LOVE OVER COMPARISON, AND TELLING A STORY OF GRACE, INSPIRING OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. Not everyone’s strength looks the same.

If you ever believe anything I say, Isolde Gilbert, please believe this: You are a remarkable human being. You are the flash of a bluebird’s wing in winter that steals my breath.” He said the words gruffly, fiercely, as if he resented having to draw them from his lungs. “You are draped in bravery and grace. No pampered English miss would have donned a selkie’s skin and saved my hide yesterday. And instead of crumbling under the unknown of our current situation, you made soup from lentils and kneaded

Amidst all the pressure to keep going and to keep going, may you also take time to learn the art of being; being Loved, being Held, being Seen, being in the Presence of the One who calls you to rest. For beyond your accomplishments and your calendars, and your lists, you were made with purpose and intention to reflect Glorious Light and to abide in Love that reminds you even in the pause you are still where you need to be. No matter how yesterday unfolded before your eyes and no matter the stacks of worries burdening your mind that have left you unsettled or confused, Light is still pouring in reminding you over and over again to surrender, to let go, for these troubles are bound to shadows that cannot survive in this new light. Bask in these beams of sun as you find your new beginnings, a new way of seeing, a grace-filled way of living. Oh, how steady hope makes the soul in the river rush of things you cannot control. For somehow through it all, you have still been made whole. Because as sure as the water makes way past the river stones, so does hope carry you past the depth of your unknowns, under fogged and white-gray skies that demand the most of tired eyes, the sound of the rushing river gently speaks: all is passing, truly passing. What if all the imperfections and the flaws were only part of your story— not the sum of who you are? What if all along, you were made to be beautiful, and it was only the dirt from this broken world that made you doubt your shining self? And what if you were not alone, as you once thought, and when a friend told you she would be there, she truly meant it? What if for every time you were afraid, you remember how you were brave, and it only escaped your memory because bravery is natural these days? Perhaps there are a million reasons to never take the leap, to never take the time to think your presence means anything, but I hope you know there are more reasons to believe this life is worth living for. I hope you can look down into that warped well of your imperfections knowing whatever you find there can never even compare to the greatness in your soul, shining wildly through.

THIS IS COURAGE: coming alive in new unknowns even though you have no idea what lies before you. It is the ability to trust that even though you do not know all the details of the forest you travel through, you are still traveling, and that’s what matters. You are learning to see that even when you feel limited on resources, there is grace.

Sola Gratia, meaning “grace alone,” and Sola Fide, meaning “faith alone”: Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. It is not by works; we come to Christ empty-handed. This is the great doctrine of justification by faith alone, the cornerstone of the Reformation.

One of the things we do as poets, is to try to preserve experiences, people, places important to us, in an effort to save them from time's erasure.

I’m the one who remains in jail if I withhold God’s grace by failing to forgive when wronged.

We are different, not because we dress differently, but because our hearts are different… We have nothing to hide, but it is not ourselves we promote- it is Jesus.

A true leader does not ‘call’ himself, does not believe that his superior knowledge or understanding qualifies him for the task, does not promote himself. He simply follows God day by day, trusts God to lead and guide him, and always gives God the credit for any successes he may have…

This song is a statement of our faith. In spite of uncertainties and strong condemnation from loved ones, there is hope that will endure. Our commitment is to follow Jesus and to be faithful every day of our lives. It is the church of Jesus Christ, of which He is alone is the cornerstone, that we give our full allegiance. No other foundation is laid that is worthy.

I offer this succinct synopsis of Bonhoeffer on the Christian life: We live in love by grace as the church-community—in, through, and toward Christ.

Leaning on Augustine’s insight, Bonhoeffer sees the sanctorum communio as “the community of loving persons who, touched by God’s Spirit, radiate love and grace.”17