If you have never felt grace in the presence of old live oak trees, a trip to the south might be in order. These are big, old trees that have a huge presence with their sweeping limbs.
Everywhere I look, I see the oaks along the streets and growing in the squares of downtown Savannah and nearby parks. They provide a grand entrance to driveways and historic sites, giving the region an identity that whispers with the wisdom of its history.
To be in their presence is to experience them.
It is not just the trees, though. Everywhere there are oaks, there is Spanish moss draping them.
The moss hangs so elegantly. The live oaks are immensely impressive. Yet it is the combined beauty of the moss and the oaks as one impressive sight that is stunning.
The sense that fills me as I walk among them is one not just of beauty, but of a presence that goes deep into my soul and gives way to grace.
“If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for a moment.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
There is unity in the environment here. A sense that we all belong, because we exist, and our existence belongs together on this earth.
This is my world, your world, our world.
I am reminded that we are all connected – not just humans, but all animals, all trees, all life. Breathing the air, flowing with energy. Connected through the cosmos – interconnected life. There is so much more to this connection.
In respecting that connection, I am filled with even more grace.
If you are not familiar with my reference to grace, let me explain. It is a flow of love that is founded on an appreciation of all the beauty that is. Whether it is visible or not, it does not matter.
My true respect for live oaks brings grace.
When thinking about live oaks with the Spanish moss, it is with a deeper level of respect, understanding and appreciation. They are living, breathing beings in their own right. They have been here for hundreds of years and endured.
I am in awe and inspired by the experience of being in their presence. An experience filled with grace.
Grace is a profound experience, without judgment, that brings a sense of peace and acceptance.
“Grace is the beauty of form under the influence of freedom.” – Friedrich Schiller
Schiller continues to describe grace so beautifully:
“Grace is the expression of a beautiful soul. A soul without the influence of others. Free from the effects of anyone or anything external.”
“Everything has beauty and when you truly see it, not with your eyes but with your heart, with the love of all that exists, that is to see it freely for what it is.”
So many of the things you think of as beautiful define it – refined, unique, and perfect with its imperfections. No comparison, yet so natural and real. Authentic.
Embrace the surrounding beauty with all its magnificent forms.
No approval is needed.
Beauty has nothing to do with how others see you, or how they think you should see something. It is all from your own perspective and how you see the world around you.
As I walk among the live oaks, this is how I feel looking at them with the Spanish moss draping over them. The trees, the moss, they have my attention. I am in awe of their beauty. I am so grateful for their existence. An existence along the path that I walked.
To be filled with grace involves an acceptance and recognition that there is no black and white, or right and wrong. The live oaks with their draping Spanish moss just are, and because they are, life is beautiful. So, in many ways, grace is a deeper appreciation of beauty around you.
Very little is needed to see the surrounding beauty. Simple appreciation.
Very little is needed to make your life happy. With love and gratitude for what you have, you can find grace.
Open your heart to seeing without any influence. Do not think of what others have told you. Let go of bias from what you think you know. Remove the judgment of how you think something ought to be.
Open your mind, body and spirit to see the world anew in all its possibilities. Anything goes! It is in this free state that you will find grace.
We can all experience grace.
To experience grace, some of the things you can do are practice gratitude, increase your awareness, minimize judgment of what others do, and open your heart to be more accepting of others and the things around you.
Continuously want to learn. To know more. Be curious.
Learn about diverse cultures, different personalities, and the amazingly abundant forms of life. There is so much diversity in everything we can experience. Nothing needs your approval. It exists.
Curiosity. There is so much more than meets the eye when you allow your senses to open with awareness and mindfulness. There are so many things you did not know and would never know if you did not look at them from a unique perspective.
This is part of the beauty of life. Everybody has their own way of looking at and understanding the world around them. It might seem like the same world you live in. But they might be seeing something that you have no idea was there or have no understanding of their experience that led them to that perspective.
People are not looking for your approval, and you do not want somebody to approve or disapprove of you. You are who you are, and you can love yourself and love others because of who you are and who they are.
This is the purpose of Clay Pots and Creepy Critters. To help increase your understanding, while opening your mind to new things, new curiosities, and new ways of thinking.
I believe we are all either moving toward love or away from it. To move away is to fear. But being filled with love is beautiful. It helps fill us with grace.
