Grace is unmerited favor extended to those who do not deserve it. I thought I understood grace until I had to offer it to a student who chose to say the N-word in front of others. My ancestral history surged, overwhelmed my soul and brought me, emotionally, to my knees. The grace I extended was a bitter harvest sown in sorrow, watered by tears. Wrapped in sadness I moved through the day confused by how tender I felt wrestling with that word. Then it became clear: Unresolved grief was shouting at me, demanding to be seen, heard, named, and healed.
A mother and grandmother, Donna Williams is consistently inconsistent in her writing, yet she keeps yielding to the beautiful, maddening pull of words again and again. Life Pain Laughter Off the Air: Pop Goes the Culture Spotify: Life Pain Laughter and Donna Substack: The Stories I Carry