Grace & Grocery Store Flower Arrangements
Interesting title I realize. I set out to share with you one of the best grocery store arrangements I have ever put together. Pretty right? 
But as I sit down to write, I can’t stop thinking about Grace. But, I promise, they actually come together quite nicely. I have been thinking about grace for a few weeks now. What is grace really? Grace… …can describe someone who carries themselves with elegance. …it can mean granting goodwill. … it can mean polite manners …it can be a name, and is the middle name of my Peanut. …it can be a prayer of thanks. …and at its foundation, it can mean the unmerited favor of God. Something not earned, just given. But I am beginning to realize that grace is a truly all encompassing word. 
And just as it can be given to us unearned, so we too should grant it to others. I am learning more and more how important this is. That, sometimes, instead of harboring anger or frustration, to grant grace a little more often. I am trying to teach my girls this. In times, when someone behaves in a way that disappointments them, I try to show them what other things are at play and encourage them to grant them some grace. I am learning, that even when facing frustrations and challenges, that we should do so with grace. Hold our ground, but do so with grace. 
And I am finding, the hardest and least natural place to give grace is to ourselves. We are frustrated with our bodies, our accomplishments, our short tempers, our parenting, our friendships, our imperfect homes, mistakes we realize we have made – whatever it may be. Why do we struggle so much with granting ourselves more grace? 
So today, I ask you to give yourself grace. Try it out and see how it feels. We are all imperfect and trying each day. Why not do something for ourselves. It doesn’t have to be a grand thing or occasion. Just the everyday graces of accepting ourselves where we are right now. The simple grace of filling our homes with flowers when it isn’t a special occasion, doesn’t have to be lavish – it can simply be from the grocery store. And of course, I will share with you how I did mine – there is a secret ingredient. Part of it is from the produce department. Yes, I started with collard greens. A different perspective while picking out my lettuce showed me how beautiful the veined leaves really are. I simply layered them in first, turning the leaves so the darker green side face upwards. 
And then I layered in some pretty simple pieces I found in an arrangement from the flower department. I looked through all of them until I found some that were interesting and would combine well with the collard greens. 
And then I just layered in the roses, one by one at different heights and I was finished. 
Then, I took the remaining flowers from the first arrangement and layered them with some additional collard greens in a smaller size. 
I placed some in the front foyer and some in the family room. 
Little reminders of grace to see each day. Keeping fresh flowers in my home has been a goal of mine for the last few weeks – just a little something to brighten the day and make our home feel a little more special. Or wear a brighter shirt or a pretty lipstick, just something to make YOU feel special. I am not sure if you have noticed, but I have started signing my posts differently. “Wishing you a day filled with grace.” And I truly do. Thanks so much for reading. 
But as I sit down to write, I can’t stop thinking about Grace. But, I promise, they actually come together quite nicely. I have been thinking about grace for a few weeks now. What is grace really? Grace… …can describe someone who carries themselves with elegance. …it can mean granting goodwill. … it can mean polite manners …it can be a name, and is the middle name of my Peanut. …it can be a prayer of thanks. …and at its foundation, it can mean the unmerited favor of God. Something not earned, just given. But I am beginning to realize that grace is a truly all encompassing word. 
And just as it can be given to us unearned, so we too should grant it to others. I am learning more and more how important this is. That, sometimes, instead of harboring anger or frustration, to grant grace a little more often. I am trying to teach my girls this. In times, when someone behaves in a way that disappointments them, I try to show them what other things are at play and encourage them to grant them some grace. I am learning, that even when facing frustrations and challenges, that we should do so with grace. Hold our ground, but do so with grace. 
And I am finding, the hardest and least natural place to give grace is to ourselves. We are frustrated with our bodies, our accomplishments, our short tempers, our parenting, our friendships, our imperfect homes, mistakes we realize we have made – whatever it may be. Why do we struggle so much with granting ourselves more grace? 
So today, I ask you to give yourself grace. Try it out and see how it feels. We are all imperfect and trying each day. Why not do something for ourselves. It doesn’t have to be a grand thing or occasion. Just the everyday graces of accepting ourselves where we are right now. The simple grace of filling our homes with flowers when it isn’t a special occasion, doesn’t have to be lavish – it can simply be from the grocery store. And of course, I will share with you how I did mine – there is a secret ingredient. Part of it is from the produce department. Yes, I started with collard greens. A different perspective while picking out my lettuce showed me how beautiful the veined leaves really are. I simply layered them in first, turning the leaves so the darker green side face upwards. 
And then I layered in some pretty simple pieces I found in an arrangement from the flower department. I looked through all of them until I found some that were interesting and would combine well with the collard greens. 
And then I just layered in the roses, one by one at different heights and I was finished. 
Then, I took the remaining flowers from the first arrangement and layered them with some additional collard greens in a smaller size. 
I placed some in the front foyer and some in the family room. 
Little reminders of grace to see each day. Keeping fresh flowers in my home has been a goal of mine for the last few weeks – just a little something to brighten the day and make our home feel a little more special. Or wear a brighter shirt or a pretty lipstick, just something to make YOU feel special. I am not sure if you have noticed, but I have started signing my posts differently. “Wishing you a day filled with grace.” And I truly do. Thanks so much for reading. 
