You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week started off full and busy, but ended slow and relaxing!

On Sunday, we went to church in the morning, my writers’ group in the afternoon, and a friend’s house for African food in the evening. It was a fun day!

On Monday, Lydia and I were off for Veteran’s Day. I’m grateful we had the freedom to stay home and do whatever we wanted! 🙂 Thank you, Veterans!

On Tuesday through Thursday, I went to work for a three day week (off Veterans Day and off Fridays). 😉 Generally, it will be a little challenging to complete all that needs to be done in less time, but it is nice to have some work-life balance. Mostly, I just want to feel like I am being helpful and finishing my work on time. Thank you, Jesus!!

On Thursday, my friends came over for Bible study. We had an awesome conversation about fractals, our God-given uniqueness, science topics like gene expression and editing, ethics, hot dogs, commercials, family issues, jobs, holidays, addictions, and more. Later in the week, we had a hilarious GIF war that lasted for over an hour… back and forth among five of us! It feels great to have such supportive friends!

This weekend marks the 23rd anniversary of a close friend’s death. My dear friend, Seth, died when we were Freshmen in high school due to an accident. It was awful. Still, I was able to use lessons learned from that experience to help me cope and grieve after my husband, Dave, also died 6+ years ago. God never wastes our pain!

Recently, I let Lydia wear a black leather jacket Seth’s parents gave to me (as a keepsake). It fits Lydia so well and she enjoyed hearing about Seth. My two brothers also wore the coat after Seth grew out of it, so it is fun to see it still in service after ~30 years or so! I also shared some pictures of Lydia in the jacket with Seth’s mom.

On Friday, I had a day completely to myself! It was so relaxing. I talked with one of my best friends on the phone, exercised while watching a movie, made a salad with beets and greens (one of my favorites!), and took my time getting ready for the day. After I picked up Lydia from school, we ran a few errands, and ordered Chinese food before a friend came over for dinner! It was just what I needed! 

Today was also pretty quiet. I did a little housework, made some phone calls, and paid some bills. I also made some healthy bagels with yogurt. Lydia played at a friend’s house, too. Thanks, God, for helping us enjoy everyday life!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!