Recently I was traveling home from overseas. I had been traveling for 23 hours and was feeling tired and a bit disconnected. I gathered my things as we departed the plane and moved easily through customs. Just past the customs gate, I realized I had left my backpack with my computer behind and was not allowed to go back to retrieve it. I began to beat myself up and felt worry begin to descend upon me. I took a breath and went to someone to ask for assistance. A man sent me to another doorway where I was directed to a counter. The woman there filled out a form and told me that any bags left would have to be cleared through customs. She shared it was a 1½ hours process and bags cleared would be brought back to this counter. Otherwise, they could ship the bag home to Colorado if preferred. The last leg home was a flight leaving in 2 ½ hours so I stood considering my options.
Suddenly, an unexpected calm came over me. I was guided through intuition to go to another terminal, check in for my next flight and then return to the International terminal to await my bag. My mind questioned this inner guidance but I listened. As I walked back to the customs doorway one hour later, I saw a man delivering bags. I got excited, believing this meant that there was plenty of time for me to retrieve my back pack and catch my next flight. However, the man didn’t have my bag.
He asked me what the bag looked like. I told him and he said, “Oh, I saw that bag. I am going back there but it will take an hour for me to get it cleared.” I exhaled, looked at his badge to make a note of his name and replied, “Whatever you can do Tony is appreciated. I will sit right here by the door.” He walked away and once again I felt a stillness come over me. I reflected on the fact that if I had been 5 minutes earlier or later, I would not have connected with Tony. My flight was now leaving in 1½ hours, yet I sat calmly next to the gated door waiting for Tony’s return. 15 minutes later, Tony walked out with my bag. I spontaneously hugged him, called him my hero, and thanked him profusely. He checked my passport, looked up at me and smiled. “The mother of my child has the name Cynthia,” he shared. Instantly, I was clear that grace and synchronicity had been present the entire time. My husband tipped him in gratitude and we went back to get on our flight home in plenty of time. As I reflected over the experience, I gave thanks for how much I have grown. In the past I would have panicked and allowed the “fire” of the experience to move me away from my center. Instead, I opened to the beauty of grace.
For me, grace is an unexplained and invisible energy that flows as harmony and peace. It is available in every moment. Our charge is to move into a space of non-resistance and trust that we are guided, protected, and supported no matter the appearance of the situation. Self-empowerment is all about self-awareness and awakening in consciousness.
My question for you is how do you respond when conditions are stressful and unexpected? Do you fall back into non-supportive responses and behaviors or do you intentionally move to the center of your being where calm resides? That latter takes practice AND is a portal for grace to move into action.
Here are a few tips to support you in revealing grace in any given moment:
- Become aware of how your mind and body are responding to the situation. Don’t judge, just witness.
- Take a breath before you speak or move into action.
- Consciously move into the stillness within you and call upon grace to guide and support.
- Give thanks for every “angel” that offers to support you. Speak with kindness to everyone involved.
- Listen to the still, small voice even if it feels counter-intuitive.
What if you “knew” that grace enveloped you in every moment? How would you respond to life? I’ll bet you would experience harmonic convergences as a way of life. Open to that knowing and let grace light the pathways of your life.
Love and light,
Cynthia
