How Grace Comes

Grace comes in birdsong 
rising on the wings of dawn
from branches of white oak,
ponderosa pine, quaking aspen –
the bright, joyous sounds
of our feathered relations.

Grace comes new every morning,
hinting at heaven’s eternal song
in which oceans swell and retreat,
forests breathe, replenishing earth’s body,
and waves of tall grass splash like surf 
in the summer-scented breeze.

This is how grace comes—
untamed,
unearned,
unexplained but deeply felt –  
a stirring in the heart,
a resting in the knowing.

In the fresh morning air
grace catches up with you,
fills your senses,
buoys your spirit, and
rouses you to life with its
wild audacious nature. 

Mark Lloyd Richardson
June 2025