Do you notice repetitive things that show up and wonder if there’s a message from the universe behind them? I used to notice repetitions but didn’t give them much thought. Over the last few decades, however, I’ve paid better attention. Sometimes, I get their message wrong. Sometimes, I’m not precisely correct. Much of the time, I nail it, but I often wish the universe would spell out its messages and stop with the “signs.” I hate puzzles.

Regarding repetitive messages from the universe, I recently had an occasion that taught me the importance of living a grace-filled life. It all began in a restaurant with a server named Grace.

We were on vacation in Iowa, and we all went to a brewery for lunch. That’s enough of a story right there, right? You can make up a great one just because it’s a brewery and lunch. My selection didn’t arrive as anticipated. I was not going to say anything because it wasn’t awful; it just wasn’t as the menu described. The server, however, asked how it was (I hadn’t eaten more than two bites).

I told her I didn’t like it and it wasn’t as described, but it was no big deal. She insisted on getting me something different. When she returned, she asked us where we were from and what brought us to Iowa in the springtime. Our response evolved into a conversation that included learning her name, Grace. By then, we had developed a report, and I shared that my middle name was Hope.

She added that her middle name is Faith – which my mother, I said, wanted my name to be, but my dad insisted on the name I have. I’m always alert to commonalities. Much more to our story involves her spending her summers with her grandparents back in Maine, but that’s for another day soon.

In the ensuing months, I had one situation after another involving the word “grace.” Each time, my ears would perk up until finally, last week, I was having dinner with a friend in Portland, and our server’s name was Grace. My ears felt like someone had doused them with a hot sauce this time!

The next day, I spent time with the word. And the next day. And the following evening, while having a summer cocktail by the pool. I guess the cocktail did it because I finally had my light bulb moment!

On this journey of experiences that we call life, we mostly don’t learn the lesson of living by grace until late in life or when dying. We are to live by grace by offering it to ourselves for not knowing until we know and to others because when we encounter each other, we encounter God, the Infinite One.

By living a grace-filled life, we connect with God. It’s how we address our fears and turn trauma into opportunity. Grace is necessary not because we have done anything wrong but because as we experience life, it assists our souls in journeying back home.

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