“I just want you to trust me that it’s okay.”  It’s an act of deep grace that returns us to the same lesson again and again, Him unwilling for His beloved to remain bound. He teaches so gently, letting me learn by doing, each time the lesson presented freshly, in an image, perhaps, or a nudge, or this gift-story from the pen of a friend.

“One morning in late December while Vivian was visiting, she climbed up on a chair to join me as I kneaded dough for a post-Christmas bread. Eager to join me in what I was doing, she plunged right into the dough. Then she scowled. What is this? What is Grandma doing? Puzzled by her sticky hands and flour everywhere, unsure of the purpose, she looked up at me, hands held out for help. I just smiled at her with delight, thrilled that she came to be…