Uma Girish - Lessons from Grace: What a Baby Taught Me about Living and Loving

In Lessons from Grace, Uma Girish offers us simple reflections from everyday life that are guaranteed to deepen our compassion for ourselves and others. Girish gives us new jewels that hold the power of sweetness and joy.

Janet Conner
author of Writing Down Your Soul: How to Activate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within

Lessons from Grace contains powerful and valuable truths that lead you on a transformational journey of living in the moment with freedom, joy, and true happiness. Thought-provoking, it inspires the reader to live the life of their dreams with passion, honesty, and fearlessness.

Anita Moorjani
New York Times bestselling author of Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

Its one thing to care for a baby as a new mother and its quite another to unexpectedly care for one in a later season in life. Uma Girishs mindful memoir evokes the wisdom and beauty of a small child experiencing the world for the first time. What might our lives be like if we honour our natural states of being, full of curiosity, readiness to learn, and present-moment awareness? This lovely book is full of reminders on how to cultivate safety, nourishment, adventure, and, perhaps, mostly keenly, how to rest in loving awareness of our own humanity.

Tara Cousineau, PhD
author of The Kindness Cure: How the Science of Compassion Can Heal Your Heart and Your World

Lessons from Grace: What a Baby Taught Me about Living and Loving is a moving meditation on the essence of life. Told through the authors experiences with a baby, the short and sweet essays make us pause and reflect on the essentials of life. Poignant, contemplative, humorous, and profound at the same time, this is a book you will return to for its timeless wisdom and wonder.

Christine Wheeler
EFT Tapping Expert and author of The Tapping Solution for Teenage Girls: How to Stop Freaking Out and Keep Being Awesome

Copyright 2019 Uma Girish
Published in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com
Published in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au
Published in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk
Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

The views and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and the facts are as reported by her. They have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use other than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews without prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself which is your constitutional right the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

ISBN: 978-93-86832-81-8
e-Book ISBN: 978-93-86832-87-0

Printed in the United States of America

When true self is the topic, children are the best source, because they live so close to their birthright gifts... In my granddaughter I actually observed something I could once take only on faith: we are born with a seed of selfhood that contains the spiritual DNA of our uniquenessan encoded birthright knowledge of who we are, why we are here, and how we are related to others.

Parker J. Palmer,
A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Towardan Undivided Life

Dear Grace,
Our hearts are knitted together forever.

When Chris, an aspiring memoirist, joined our writers group one Saturday morning in 2009, I didnt have the faintest clue that our lives would weave together in unimaginable ways.

Chris was funny, warm, caring, and easy to like. Soon, the two of us became fast friends. A few months later, he introduced me to his girlfriend, Tiffany. There was a kindness and sweetness to her that I found endearing.

I know now that we were drawn together in ways that only the Universe can orchestrate. When people are meant to come together for certain reasons, they just do. Game nights and soulful conversations bonded us over time.

Late one evening, my daughter and I were watching the tail end of the Oscars when Chris called.

I just proposed, he said, sounding a little breathless.

Wow, congratulations! That is awesome news! I shouted, as my daughter looked at me with questions in her eyes.

Chris next words touched me deeply. Youre the first one to know, so... nothing on Facebook yet, okay?

My family and I drove to their beautiful October wedding in 2011, a day that will be specially remembered for the two canine ring bearers, Emily and Teddy.

Many months later, a teacher explained to me that every encounter is a holy encounter. In that moment, it made complete sense. Chris walking to our writers table as we pondered plot lines and punctuation, was definitely one such holy encounter.

Around this time, I was mentoring with Randy, a church-going Christian, whose heart was big enough to support a Hindu. I was working through my grief following my mothers sudden death in early 2009. To better understand my grieving heart and connect with the truth of my life experiences, Randy had me pick a series of books which we read together. We connected the themes of these books with my own journey.

At the time, we were reading The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life where the author, Bruce Wilkinson, shares the story of a little-known Biblical character, Jabez, who wants nothing more than to serve God. But Jabez is the runt of the litter in human terms and his large ambitions to serve God and make a difference in the world are laughable. However, by channelling Gods power and honouring His timeline to increase his sphere of influence, Jabez goes on to have a tremendous impact on the history of Israel.

Bruce Wilkinson shares his own Jabez act in the book. He tells the story of walking into a cafe one morning and letting God know that he is willing to serve someone, anyone. He simply wishes to be used by his Creator. Moments later, a couple walks into the cafe and starts a casual conversation with him which turns out to be life-changing for all three. The couple share that they are headed for a separation and Bruce ends up being the cosmic agent of change who reverses their destiny. Through this incident, Bruce reinforces the truth that only by relying on God can anyone achieve the seemingly impossible; in this case, repair a relationship headed for the rocks. The story ends on a cheerful note. The couple leave the cafe determined to give their marriage another chance.

Inspired by Jabez and Bruce, I resolved to have my own God moment. I dont know what I was thinking, but there I was, sitting in a Starbucks one Saturday morning, trying to imitate a biblical, world-renowned Christian teacher. I made a bargain with God to send me someone to serve, and if He did, I would keep my promise. I tried to make conscious eye contact with everyone who stepped into the coffee shop, wondering who was meant for me. No one even glanced my way. Forty minutes later I went home, discouraged and despondent.