One of my all-time favorite authors is Annie Dillard, and I am loving spending a few weeks this November discussing some of her essays in Teaching a Stone to Talk. One of the earliest offerings that I gleaned from reading her books was this relatively straightforward quotation, “We catch grace as a man fills his cup under a waterfall.” It’s from her prize-winning Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Two disclaimers: this one is actually not my favorite of her books, and these days I grimace a little at her non-inclusive language.
And still. We catch grace as if we are standing with little teacups, drenched under a waterfall. This is how I visualize her words.
We catch a lot of things. We catch tidbits of conversation in hallways. We catch the weight of the news of the world. We catch the sorrow of our lives or of those we walk through life with. We catch colds. We catch coffee on the run with a friend when we can find the time. We catch up with the laundry and get immediately behind again. We catch as catch can.
And we catch grace. We catch a sunny afternoon. We catch the refrain of a song we love. We catch a glimpse of a beloved one. We catch our breath. We catch up on a show that transports us for a little while. We catch sight of the leaves changing, or even better we catch sight of a child catching leaves as they fall.
There is a torrent all around us—a torrent of news and grief and dysfunction and violence. And Annie Dillard is here to remind us that there is also a waterfall of beauty and love and reasons for hope. It is spilling over us, and we would do our best to cup our hands or grab a cup and notice the good. To sip even a few drops can quench our thirst for wonder and delight.
Friends, this is not a Pollyanna post. I am not suggesting that we bury our heads in the sand. I am suggesting that we not ignore the stories of hope, the funny jokes, the rest stops where we can put our feet up for a bit, and the small kindnesses offered all the time by friend and stranger alike. God’s grace is abundant, flooding even this broken world and these bewildering days. Mercy and forgiveness show up and release us back out into the world with freedom and joy.
We catch grace, sweetness, light, care, gentleness in thimblefuls compared with the magnitude of love that God pours out into creation. We can feel flooded and overrun in so many ways, and there are a lot of things to catch. My hope is that I can find myself virtually drowning in some of the beauty and grace that pours out like a waterfall. I’ll cup my hands or grab the nearest cup to catch just a bit.
Thank you, Katherine! Beautifully said and a valuable and necessary reminder.
Thanks for reading, Peggy
Thanks for reading, Peggy!
I’m cupping my hands right this minute! Thank you so much for the timely reminder, Katherine.
Hi Linda, hope you are doing well – thanks for reading!
Great reminder! Thank you!
As usual, I’m reminding myself and y’all just get to listen in!
Thanks Katherine!
Thanks for reading, Mary
Thanks Katherine. As I sit here looking out at a cool, dampish November late afternoon I’m looking at Gods grace everywhere. The color palette of the leaves and the background of a beautiful gray sky. Its hard for a retired meteorologist not to look at the sky. Thanks again for your words, Grace is everywhere. Rick Shields
Looking up is one of the best things we can do – glad you’re still watching the skies!
Oh Katherine, thanks so much for your sharings. This is whats in my cup as I read it. I caught it☺️. And, the gorgeous fall colors calming my impatience driving along, The amazing conversation in gleanings flowing along and the light of gratitude caught each of my days of late♥️♥️♥️thank you for bringing it all up again. It helps in the midst of all the turmoil.
Bonus points for finding beauty while commuting! So glad for all the ways your cup is filled!
You had me at Grace……
Amazing grace, isn’t it?
Katherine, I catch every pearl of wisdom you share! And Calvary is so lucky and blessed to have caught you! Our collective cups runneth over.
Thanks, Kate – I’m glad to be caught in this community!
I thank God for you and Annie Dillard for reminding me of the abundance of Grace that is flowing everywhere and all the time if I only reach out and receive it.
Thanks for reading, Linda, I’m so thankful too for all the ways God nudges each of us
Such beautiful images
Thanks, Ginny
This is so beautiful Katherine
Thanks for reading, Lisa