From the safety of my bed
The thought produced itself,
To seek an air of comfort
at a place I feel myself.

Something in it called me
For the reasons, I’d find out,
To learn about my inner soul
And what life’s all about.

What drew me closer to it
Was the cover of the book,
So inspiring and peaceful
that I took a closer look.

The introduction had me captured;
I related to the dream
of envisioning my reaching
a place to which I’d never been.

True, all great accomplishments
Begin within our mind
With a vision of the possible,
And a courage that we find.

I listened so intently
To the words I’d come to hear
As the sun shone bright above her
And I felt God’s presence near.

She spoke of my soul flying
With faith and action as my wings,
And encouraged me to journey
to that which makes my heart sing.

For passion is to “pass I on”
Fueling possibilities,
Reconnecting me, in essence,
To the divine, authentic me.

“Tashi Deley” (Tibetan)
she taught us how to say
As a greeting to the people
with whom we intersect each day;

Honouring the magnificence
In each person that we meet
As we strive to live life fully
And become, not merely be.

As in other moments of my life
When God works through someone,
I felt His comfort in the warmth
And brilliance of the sun.

When the gentleman beside me
Asked her if she’d planned the sun,
She responded with her faith in God,
how believing makes us one.

A spiritual encounter
That I know You had well planned
For the inspiration and guidance
Was You reaching out your hand.

It was as though You spoke to me
Through Grace’s heartfelt words
A coincidence or Jung’s peak moment
They were freeing - healing hurts.

It all welled up inside
To see her passion glow;
It’s You who’s working in her
And this, for sure, I know.

She spoke of having angels
that surround her, give her calm.
She said be proud of who we are
as we wake and stand each dawn,

Not to concern ourselves with shoulds,
And to learn to heal the past,
To let go and grow self esteem
In a world where change is fast.

She likened us to pebbles
In life’s white and rapid water
We will not be in control
Until we come to know where God is.

It matters not which rowboat that
we use to spiritually travel
For when life here is surrendered
The end goal is all that matters.

Imagine I was lost for words
As she wrote upon the page
“Dance across your bridge”
With the knowing eye of sage.

And just in case I questioned
or believed it was just chance,
She then warmly embraced me…
How did she know I love to dance?

She called me "Kindred Spirit"
When she saw my Celtic knot,
An expression known by such a few
But the sign I hadn’t sought.

The sign that I am precious
And You know my inner thoughts,
That we are all connected
And that You love me lots.

It’s not a hint of destiny
That we should meet today;
I needed your reminding
That I will be OK.

It moved a depth within me
until emotions made me cry.
Hot tears released my feelings
And I felt you ever nigh.

Today, indeed, you carried me;
One set of footprints in the sand.
How ironic that Grace spoke about
Leaving heart prints on this land.

Still even more ironic
is the fact her name is Grace,
For of all the names of authors
Hers means, for me, your peace.

For inspire means “to breathe in life”
And You, my Source of Life,
have given me a peace of mind
and soothed my thoughts of strife.

You set the bridge out for me,
Sturdy, welcoming, and strong
And waited in your patient way
For me to step upon.

Enlightened by your spirit,
Motivated, now I go
with abundant positive attitude
and all the world in tow.

A Sunday like no other
With a sermon just for me!
Thanks to God for who you are
And thank God for making me!

M. de Ruijter

Dear Grace,

Thank you Grace for your inspiration and vision and for all that you are and all that you do to make a difference in other people's lives.

This is my bridge located at the end of Misty Lane in Paradise Valley in B.C. Paradise Valley is located just north of Squamish, B.C.

Jacqueline Crawford

Betrayal

As lovers we walk through this world hand in hand
Two sets of footprints we leave in the sand
But are we in fact both true to ourselves
Or has one of us left dreams on the shelves
While following the other along its path
Eyes always forward but heart looking back
Now look again at what we have done
The two sets of footprints have now become one
While the other leaves only a trail
A classic sign of it's own betrayal!

Simone D'Amour Nottingham, England
(Simone used to write poetry as a child and then stopped after a bad experience with a teacher. This was inspired after reading Ch. 3 of Grace's book. Read Simone's story under "They Took the Step"....

Our Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet of you,
To guide a crew like us,
We once were lost but now have found,
True Colors to help deal with the fuss.

'Twas Grace that taught us how to be,
The best leaders that we could be,
How precious did we all appear,
To Grace, she did believe.

Through many changes, dinners and cigars,
And those we know will come,
Its Grace we count on to go far,
And Grace thank you for the fun.

When you guide us again next year,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to change our ways,
Then when we first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet of you,
To guide us through the fuss,
We thank you for all that you do,
And consider you one of us.

By A. Thibault

Grace has taken us on a journey
Now, if you dare
Take the "step"
The Bridge will be There!

We need to know our purpose
And our values too,
Take off our masks
And ask "Who are You?"

So when you return to work
I'm sure you'll all strive
Not to be asleep, unconscious and numb,
Instead, be awake and feeling alive.

Let us accept the challenge
And show our families and co-workers too
what this workshop today
Has meant to you...

We love you Grace!

A. Nicolle
The Learning Centre
PEI Public Service Commission

A Morning Prayer

Be still and enjoy the quiet time
And listen between the words
Taking time to bless myself and bless others.
Let my soul speak to me,
Allowing God into my vocabulary
That I may feel the wonder of the miracle of life.
Help me find the way to connect with my compassion,
For compassion will heal the world.
Let me pay attention to the synchronicities
And to act by taking the next step,
For action with vision brings a new order.
Help me overcome my doubt and to doubt my doubt
And banish all thoughts that I am not enough.
Starting my day with Gratitude,
I deeply know that I am not alone,
And that my Angels are always with me.

Mark O'Meara, Vancouver
Inspired by Grace Cirocco after hearing her speak at the CCA conference in Ottawa, May 2002.