grace abounds!

seriously...it's just everywhere!  in the last week, i've encountered so much grace i can't possibly write a blog entry for each thing.  check it out:

• my dear friends who have been praying for a baby for six years and told their chances are slim to none recently found out they are 8 weeks pregnant!  they are thrilled beyond belief and credit God's grace for this little miracle which has already brought them so much joy.
• another dear friend is pregnant for the second time after tragically losing her first baby girl last year.  she is feeling well and just felt the baby move for the first time...14 weeks!  that reassurance that all is well as that little life continues to grow can only be described as grace.
• my dear friends who are pregnant with their first child after getting married less than two years ago came to visit this weekend.  it was so great to see them and have the gift of sharing quality time- a common love language :)  you know how people sarcastically say, "thank you for gracing us with your presence"?  well, no sarcasm here- their presence truly brought grace to my life! 
• another dear friend is pregnant for the first time and, although she is considered "high risk" because of her age, all is going well, and they just found out they are having a sweet baby girl!  grace abounds in healthy moms and healthy babies!
• wow!  i have a lot of growing bellies in my life!  what a blessing to have so many dear friends with wonderful, loving husbands, who are not only great examples to me of marriage, but now also of motherhood.  these ladies have struggled, laughed, cried, and been stretched on many levels as their bodies, minds, and spirits prepare for the next phase in life, but throughout it all they remain steadfast in their faith and in their love.  i am so blessed.  all of these pregnancies have really got me thinking about the miracle of life- and what a miracle it truly is!  i think sometimes we hear about so many easy pregnancies with healthy babies that we forget just that they aren't all that way.  if we truly saw our own lives for the gifts and miracles that they are, how would we live differently on a day-to-day basis?
• after four days of nonstop rain, to the point where many streets in boston were flooded and impassable, i woke up this morning to sun and a bright blue sky!  i think that was about all my spirit could take of that kind of weather (bless you who live in seattle!), and am so grateful to be graced with such a beautiful day!
• i had yet another interview today.  although i don't want to jinx it, i have to say that this one felt really different to me.  maybe part of it is that i'm starting to find my rhythm and get a good feel for how to best express myself in an interview setting.  but part of it was definitely that i just got a very different vibe from this place.  the people were friendly.  when i was waiting, the church secretary started chatting with me about the weather and how long she's lived in lawrence and how excited they are that tomorrow's st. patrick's day since they are st. patrick's parish.  then i went in, and everyone was just as nice as they could be, smiling, explaining who they were and where they were from...the questions were all ones i'd heard before and was prepared to answer, although i tried to do so in very honest, authentic ways.  i don't know if i can really put a finger on what was different, but i could see myself as part of this community.  it just felt right.  even if they don't offer me the job, although i will actually legit be disappointed this time, i really am just grateful to have had such a positive interview experience- one that i walked into feeling good and out of feeling good.  can't ask for much more than that!  it probably helped that i had my grandma's whole bible study group praying for me during that hour :)
• i have really just been overwhelmed with the amazing people in my life lately.  so many mentors- professional mentors and life mentors- people who encourage me and see that which i sometimes cannot see in myself, and lead by example so that i have direction and guidance for the kind of person i want to become.  an incredible family, who desperately tries to keep up with my crazy life, even across the miles.  a God who loves me so much that he died- on a cross- that i might live- and live to the fullest.  and the best friends anyone could ever hope for.  sometimes i wonder how i got so lucky- i certainly don't deserve them.
• it is good to record life's abundant graces on days like today, because then i can revisit this and remember them on days when they make themselves less noticeable.
• how has grace been working in your life lately?