I had dinner with two friends Thursday evening. I arrived early (for a change). The first friend showed up soon after. She lost her significant other in August and has been going through the transition of life without this man she loved so well. We talked a bit. I have no particular global wisdom about 'stuff', but I do have some solid go-to's that I deploy for myself and others at appropriate times. My encouragement to those (and myself) facing life's daunting challenges (and none of us escape those moments when life bears down so hard it hurts), is "Courage and Grace." 

I feel that courage is the root value from which all others emanate.  It takes courage to be compassionate.  It takes courage to forgive.  How so?  It is courage that allows us to surmount our fears and embrace whatever challenge is facing us.  It takes courage to "set aside" those things that abrade against our sensibilities and vulnerabilities.

I combine grace with courage because grace suggests an idealize comportment in such times where we must gird our loins.  We can be courageous and fearsome--a pairing that works well on the battlefield.  A far more refined pairing is courage and grace.  I make no claims to having cultivated either to the level that I would wish, but it is an ideal worth emulating.  I have moments in life where if have been the model of courage and grace--and I've had other moments of polarity that are best not worth remembering!


Embracing courage and grace helps maintain perspective.  If we are to see clearly, and act rightly, we must have proper perspective.  My friend later shared the video below--and I wanted to share it with you. It thought it a lovely composition of music, words and images.  I hope you enjoy it.