Gentle, Quiet, Grace

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.” — Saint Francis de Sales

“Oh! that gentleness! how far more potent is it than force!”― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

For the past three mornings, the girls have been barking with intensity in the backyard.
Each time, going to get them in, a deer standing on the other side of the fence.
Gentle gaze, unmoved by the commotion, undistracted by the noise, rooted in calm ease.
Across traditions and cultures, deer symbolize gentleness, intuition, spiritual renewal.
The ability to navigate life’s challenges with quiet grace.
God enters our days in a million little ways.
Often through nature, children, dogs, deer, other people.
Encounters, distractions, delays, long cuts.
Unseen, bypassed, not on our checklist, sped by on the way to somewhere else.
Make somewhere else this day.
Reset the pace, the cadence.
Someday is this day.
Saunter.
Easy spirit.
Quiet grace.
Just outside your door.
Woven in your heart.
Peace.

“I choose gentleness… Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.”― Max Lucado

“Gentleness is strength under control. It is the ability to stay calm, no matter what happens.” — Elizabeth George