What a tough time we find ourselves in as we negotiate our everyday lives through a pandemic. As lockdown hit, I was finishing writing my book Journey with Grace, and was taken by surprise at how much it seemed relevant and timely. Had I been listening enough to God about the timing? Was I ahead of Him or behind Him? I decided to just keep journeying on to find out rather than give in to the fear of whether I would complete the book. I decided to engage with what was coming up on this lockdown journey, embracing the moment yet like many others feeling a bit guilty for actually enjoying it. Within my book I talk about managing our mixed emotions ‘at such a time as this’.
Why Journey with Grace?
It is by God’s grace that we take this journey we call life. I hope by sharing my own story, along with those of other authors, clients and friends, that my book will help you enjoy life more, turning confusion into clarity, fear into peace, anxiety into creativity and doubt into trust. Every journey is unique, and we can learn along the way and from each other. I encourage everyone to journal, as journaling provides a wonderfully private moment in which we can make further connections, both emotional and spiritual. So, to accompany Journey with Grace I am publishing a journal. Here’s little taster from the book for you…
Courgettes, not Marrows
‘With a client, we were exploring how she was managing her health, her time and her relationships. An analogy came freely as she shared about her pleasure from her garden. It was important to her to take the time to attend to her courgettes before they became marrows. Her courgettes are manageable, tasty and small enough to enjoy. Left to their own devices, they grow into marrows. I ask her what these are like for her. “They are large, dirty, hard to deal with, cumbersome, taste strange and can be hard to get rid of. They feel heavy and I can’t do much with them. They get dumped to one the side, dirty and hard to manage.”
'Emotions that are not kept in check are like marrows. Even when they are pushed down or to the side, they are still growing. At some point they will need to be dealt with. I make the link for her emotional well being and I hope that the examples in the book will give you insight into yourself too.’
‘I hope this book will help you see what you already have inside that has perhaps got lost somewhere along the way, or maybe this will be a little more finely tuned and can be ‘re-gifted’ back to you? This can then be passed on to others, especially to younger generations, as we learn how to live our lives in a better way.’
By His Grace
I am passionate about helping those with dyslexia through publishing and counseling. I do all I can to help people overcome the issues that having dyslexia can create. I especially want to encourage reading and shine a light on some of the positives that dyslexia can bring. I explore this further in my book in the chapter ‘My Secret Weapon’.
I share how dyslexia affected me, tripping me up when I was not looking, as it was undiagnosed up until a few years ago. I was always doing things to the best of my ability, despite these challenges. Making this book the best it can be has been an incredible journey. Some days it has felt rather like a tsunami, and all I could do is try to bring it back to a gentle ripple of peace, reminding myself that today I can only achieve what was set before me, and not try to do more. Sometimes it’s hard to cope with the unknown but I try and make the most of each and every day. Turning weakness into strength brings me great joy.
The most exciting part of my work so far is the privilege of inspiring the creation of a dyslexic-friendly font. Klaus, my most brilliant typographer, has even named it Grace! This is now being showcased for the first time in Journey with Grace. How wow is that!
Sarah Grace is an integrative psychotherapist in private practice and a director at Malcolm Down and Sarah Grace Publishing. Embracing her own life journey with dyslexia, she uses her counselling and coaching skills, to work closely with clients helping them lead a more fulfilling life.
Together Magazine
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