ONE LIFE BLOG
There, but for the Grace of God, Go I
I remember hearing this once, and it stuck me a being incredibly profound and at the time incredibly humbling and kind. It was in relation to a work colleague, talking about another work colleague, who had lost their son via suicide. His comment was 'it could of happened to any one of us, any one of our children could have taken the same steps.... but for the Grace of God".
I have remembered this, and have used it on many occasion, quietly to myself. Although it stirs up a slight sense of guilt ("Thank God it is not me"), it also rouses an incredible sense of gratitude. How fortunate am I, to not be going through what this person is experiencing? How fortunate that I have shelter, a warm bed, a loving family? How fortunate am I that I have not experienced what this person is going through.
It's the small things....
One of my very favourite cartoons is this one from Michael Leunig. It encapsulates how life sometimes feels - and how - when things are very tough - it is the small things that get you through.
We are constantly challenged - on a daily basis - to rise above what we might consider our primitive response, to engage our brain, to make decisions no matter how minute on a moment to moment basis. We tackle traffic, a rude fellow human, a washing machine that breaks down mid-cycle, a phone call from a distressed friend and then we have to cope with the bigger things in life, death of a loved one, loss of a pet, dissolution of a relationship.