Grace

Yesterday on my flight from Hawaii to Seatlle, I was sitting in a row with 1 woman - and we had an empty space between us.  I was going to say hello, but she dove straight into a movie, and I dove straight into a book.  We didn't speak for 5 hours of the flight - it's amazing how easy it is not to speak to people, even when you are right next to each other for such a long period of time!  As she was returning her Digi Player, I had just written in my journal that I wanted to learn more about the art of meditation. The woman leaned over and said, "I like your hair cut."  She was so quiet, I didn't realize she was talking to me.  I looked around and back again, jumped a little and said, "Thanks!"  We had finally started talking. . . .just as we were descending.  I found out that she was actually on her way to Idaho for a meditation conference.  I was so excited!  I told her I had just written minutes before that I felt the need for meditation in my life.  It was absolute serendipity.

The woman, in her very calm and quiet way, smiled big and told me she would love to share some resources with me.  She started to name off some meditation masters I could study and learn from.  I asked her how long meditation had been in her life. She closed her eyes, remembering, "Since I was three.  My dad used to sit us down for 5 minutes each day, and we had to sit in a quiet space, focusing on ourselves, and our inner beauty."  Can you imagine? Thinking about your inner beauty at age 3?  How amazing.

I was furiously writing as this woman kept talking, because everything she said was so graceful.  She talked about "this experience of life" as being beautiful, and we are meant to shine our inner lights.
"We are all masters of our own being.  No one can tell you your own path, you are your own master."

She talked about the purpose of life being to acknowledge the beauty that is within all of us, which she called the eye of our being.  Our inner beauty is what we see with, what can guide us and help us shine.

The plane taxied into the tarmac, and the seat belt light went off.  As everyone was grabbing their luggage, this woman said "Everything that you are seeking in life is already inside you."  She tapped her heart, and pointed to mine, and nodded.  Staring at her, I felt this incredible warmth through my body.  I smiled my biggest smile in days and nodded.  I thought 'this is why I am on this journey.  For moments like this.'  And her words, with her beautiful, quiet, soft demeanor were so powerful for me.  I think I was smiling, and gawking at her for quite a while, and she just kept nodding and tapping her heart.  She had an amazing glow about her - her hair was a blond gray, and the way the light from the airplane window was hitting behind her - I thought she looked like an angel.

I asked her "What's your name?"  And she replied, "Grace."  How perfect!  I told her I had recently been doing some self-growth work and had found out that Grace is a powerful thing that runs in the women in my family, and I had recently decided that I was also full of grace.  She smiled her smile and said, "Yes you are Courtney."  Then she got off the plane.  I followed her.  Right at the end of the walkway, I looked up for 1 second to find the baggage claim sign, then looked back to where Grace was walking and she was gone.  I couldn't see her down any hallway.  I was pretty blown away by that interaction, and I'm pretty sure she was some sort of angel.  My Angel, Grace.