After having settled in San Anselmo for the night, our bodies – still on East Coast Time – allowed us to rise extra early and set out for Point Reyes National Seashore in the morning sun.  It was an extraordinary morning, with hardly any fog at all, so the drive out to the sea was filled with little glimpses of grace.  We had to make a sudden stop for a mother deer and her young fawn finding their way home after a morning walk.  We passed cows on the historic dairy farms warning visitors to stay on the main roads.  And we saw an amazing number of beautiful sights with wild flowers covering the rolling hills on the way to the sea.

Once we arrived at the Point Reyes Lighthouse, we parked the car and walked the trail out to the rocky point.  The presence of the Holy Spirit was fierce and strong in the winds that whipped us, pushed and pulled us, and caused us to lean into them to continue forward.  But the sight of the gorgeous Pacific Ocean in the morning light was worth the struggle.

On the return trip, we had a delicious hamburger at Point Reyes Station and made our way back in time for a sitting for graduation pictures.  A little rest and next on the agenda was the baccalaureate service for the 2012 graduates of San Francisco Theological Seminary.

What a delight it was to re-connect with a classmate I had met while taking classes in the summer of 2009.  Following the service, we enjoyed a wonderful Italian dinner together and shared the joys and sorrows of our doctoral dissertations.  We were truly celebrating the completion of the same and rejoiced to finally be done!

We both knew and voiced the truth that without the grace of God – in the natural beauty of this earth; in the support of family and friends; in the perseverance of faith – arriving for this celebration would not have ever been possible.

Where have you known grace on your journey?