i met her this week. grace. the girl behind this blog's name. she walked into the beacon of hope clinic very timid, but captured my attention quick. her eyes told stories of her life and her smile and laughter were gifts that day. three months along in her pregnancy and found out she was HIV positive. she can't tell the father of this child about the results of the test because she fears for her life. i watched her as she curled up in a ball in her chair as much as she could--she just found out that shes HIV positive and her boyfriend is a violent drunk, and yet she cant seem to conceal the grace and joy that overwhelms her life. wow.

dear grace,
thank you. thank you for reminding me about life. thank you for reminding me about precious moments. thank you for reminding me not to conceal grace and joy. thank you for your laughter and smile. thank you for the silent lessons you taught me today that spoke volumes.