by Marti Fischer

Grace is more than a word. It’s a force. A quiet revolution. A hand extended when we least deserve it. Grace is that unearned kindness that catches you just before you hit the ground. And when Grace shows up? Everything can change.

Let me tell you a story.

In a town called Bustling, life moved fast. People rushed from one task to the next, always busy, rarely present. Eye contact was rare. Smiles, even rarer. They weren’t unkind — just stretched thin, surviving the pace of modern life.

Then one day, someone new moved in. Her name was Grace. She didn’t advertise her arrival. No big splash. No announcement. She just began — slowly, intentionally — living differently.

Grace walked at a pace that invited presence. She noticed people. She remembered names. She left baskets of fresh fruit on the porch of an aging neighbor. She sat on library steps reading to children. She paid attention to what others overlooked.

At first, Bustling didn’t quite know what to make of her. “Why’s she doing all that?” people whispered. “What’s in it for her?”

But Grace kept going. No strings. No spotlight. Just kindness, over and over. And slowly, Bustling. started to change.

Neighbors who had once rushed past each other began to pause. They asked how someone was — and waited for the answer. People started pitching in, offering rides, writing notes, showing up. They didn’t even realize it at first, but they were becoming different.

Grace never asked for credit. She just smiled — the kind of smile that said, “I see you. You matter.”

Eventually, people stopped wondering who she was. They started liking who they were becoming.

Here’s the truth: Grace still moves in. Into our towns. Our homes. Our hearts.

It might look like a friend who shows up with coffee when you’re overwhelmed. A stranger who holds the door when your hands are full. A moment of stillness that breaks through the noise.

Grace never demands to be earned. She simply shows up, and invites us to do the same.

So today, what if you were Grace in someone else’s story? What if your words, your presence, your small act of kindness became the moment that shifted everything?

Because when Grace shows up, she doesn’t leave things the way she found them.

COMING SOON: A NEW SERIES ON GRACE

you won’t want to miss a day!