A Lexicon for Life: Episode 2 - Grace

Grace is one of Jay Griffiths’ favourite words; its connection to gratitude, to charisma, to that something more than was asked for. “It’s in the grace notes of music, the thing which is not strictly necessary, but the beautiful extra that gives life that quality of given, cherished, unearned beauty.”There are moments, she says, where we are in a state of gratitude for something of astonishing grace: “Events when animals have saved people, when they have acted without training or reward, simply seeing the trouble and electing to help, are moments of extraordinary grace dropped into the ordinary world.”Jay discusses with Jo and John the Ethiopian lions who saved a 12-year-old girl from kidnappers, protecting her until human rescuers arrived; the parrot who alerted a childminder to a child in danger of choking and the crows who brought “bright tokens of regard” to the little girl who gave them food. They explore the connection with caritas, love and care, and the inherent grace of wild creatures: “Wild things have inherent grace, which is why all wild creatures are so bewitching – they are not just in, but they are a state of grace. Life itself is a state of grace: at the heart of it all, there is this primeval wild comedy, and the Earth is hot with, bursting with, fermenting with, dizzy with, hooting with, gasping with – life.”You can order any of Jay Griffiths’ books from her online shop at Bookshop.org Get full access to Byline Times at www.bylinesupplement.com/subscribe