The Dawn of Grace, charcoal & conte sketch on paper
On the twelfth and final day of Christmas sketches…
The corner: It’s in the kitchen by the hallway. It is a terrible place of dread and woe. Sitting in this horrible place elicits tears, the stomping of feet and the gnashing of teeth. It’s where we put the naughty children.
In the corner, you have to think about how you can act better: how should you treat your brother? Why don’t we yell and scream at mommy? Why do we not cheat at Candyland? The hard questions in life…
Throughout these 12 days of Christmas sketches, I’ve worked to be “better”…to live in greater peace, to show more kindness, to daily recognize the treasure of my family and the life I am so lucky to live.
At Christmas, we celebrate the dawn of grace
The chance to begin anew, second chances in small moments and in great mistakes. Grace to me is the recognition of our humanity, that we are a mess, but it’s just part of it. We get the wonderful gift of making innumerable changes, of “making it better.”
We aren’t perfect; we yell at our mommies and push our brothers. We ignore the hungry, and harbor hatred. We are selfish, and angry and ungrateful; impatient, intolerant and rude.
But we are also capable of great love, of profound kindness; of making peace, of helping others, of always improving; of living in response to the dawn of grace, and using our one small and precious life to make this world a better place. To bring peace on earth, goodwill to men.
“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives.”
-Clarence, It’s a Wonderful Life
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth
12 Drummers Drumming
