for Darlene Wind and James Welch

I could say grace was a woman with time on her hands, or a white buffalo escaped from memory. But in that dingy light it was a promise of balance. We once again understood the talk of animals, and spring was lean and hungry with the hope of children and corn.

From “Grace” by Joy Harjo

Grace as the promise of balance. Original grace is the promise of balance — from birth — that is freely given and does not have to be bought, negotiated, or earned. The seasons, tides, and sun know grace. Babies, animals, and nature know grace. Sky, earth, and oceans know grace. They know it down deep. They know it in the place that knows falling apart and coming back together. They know it in the place that knows impermanence and equanimity. They know it is the place that knows joy and sorrow. They know it in the place that knows life and death. They know it in the place that knows blood and tears.

Our world cries out for grace. Our world cries out for balance. I don’t know what balance looks like right now. Boundaries to extreme wealth and poverty? Support for an inclusive system of health care? Abundant resources for things that support and create and sustain? I know that grace is about an ethic of care, the practice of service, and our capacity to be vulnerable. Grace annihilates the notion that we are separate and can exist apart from one another. Grace builds and does not destroy.
Grace is the promise of balance in the everyday. It starts with connection. It includes self-care and honesty. It includes courage and humility. It includes space to say yes and no. It includes big and small acts of forgiveness and understanding. All of it is a promise of balance.