The 11th annual Taste and See breakfast at St. George’s Catholic parish hall featured author and lawyer Carla Carlson as keynote speaker on October 14. Carlson’s chosen theme, “everyday grace – finding the courage to be” connected with the audience as she described how ordinary people lead extraordinary lives. In her presentation, she draws on several different stories from her experience as a social worker and her experiences while traveling. Carlson introduced herself to the audience as a mother, wife, daughter, former social worker, lawyer and partner of a family law office.
Carlson stressed that too many life events push and pull people in many directions nowadays, but she encouraged the audience to take the time to discover one’s everyday grace. She explained that she notices constant themes as she works with many families in crisis. This includes the constant struggle with fear, hope, worry, and the feeling of being alone. Her presentation to the breakfast was based on her book, “Everyday Grace: Finding your extraordinary in ordinary everyday life.” “The reason why I wrote this book is to give people hope,” said Carlson. “That is what Everyday Grace is about and why I wrote the book.”
She also focused on the topic of the courage to be. Carlson pointed out that people have a constant fear when they put themselves out in society that they will do or say something silly and be judged. As a result, they may fail to take up opportunities. In Christianity, she said, “we are told to be brave and to have courage.”
Carlson noted that the question to oneself is how to find peace and satisfaction in life that would allow one to take advantage of opportunities. Carlson cited that week’s Gospel reading that carried this same message: Don’t worry about anything. Don’t be afraid, because it’s going to be okay. As she described the different types of fears, Carlson told the recent story of how she was Las Vegas at the time of the mass shooting in September. There is the fear from imminent harm she felt when people were running into her hotel screaming “live shooter”.
She describes another fear that people are afraid to be themselves and the courage to be satisfied with their lives. Change can bring about fear as well. There was the natural fear of the unknown and what a change might mean for an individual. Carlson used the metaphor of changing sheets. A new set of sheets might be uncomfortable at first, but then they become comfortable again. Says Carlson, losses just happen and make us uncomfortable, so one grieves and moves forward to find comfort again.
Carlson shared a very heart-wrenching story from her time as a social worker about a boy named Michael whose mother could not care for him and his adoptive parents returned him to social services. She learned an early lesson from this boy about having an attitude of acceptance and being open to receiving help.
In another story as she cared for her mother whose journey through cancer was ending, Carlson noted that she learned a lesson about perspective. “Perspective means to have the courage to see the good. Once we see the good then our whole perspective changes,”
All women in the community are invited to participate in the breakfast. The event began with Gail Delorme leading those gathering in a prayer that focused on tolerance, justice, peace, love and forgiveness, scientists, goodness and virtue, thanksgiving, and hope. During the reading, eight different candles were lit by different individuals. This part of the program concluded with the Women’s Peace Prayer recited aloud together.
