a book bathed in light

Remember my Anne Lamott story? I LOVE ANNE LAMOTT! And since April, when besite L and I saw her lecture, we've both been eagerly anticipating Lamott's newest book: Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers.  I ordered a few copies (Christmas presents), and was so excited when the package was in my mail box! The book is short and sweet, Lamott in succinct. As the title suggests, Lamott shares three prayers that she finds imperative: "Help," "Thanks," and "Wow," explaining that in our lowest places we ask for help from a higher power, but for many people the prayers stop there. She shares her experience the "help," phased, but also goes on to share how prayers shouldn't stop there, but rather continue with gratitude, "thanks," and prayers of awe, "wow."

In true Lamott fashion, you hear her voice as you read, the book infused with her humor and ability to create an honest, open dialogue with the reader. What I love about Lamott is that she's not a pious, perfect person; raised by atheists, she didn't find her way to God until as an adult she bottomed out: a drug addict and alcoholic, she then became pregnant and a single, working mother. She is years sober, her son now in his 20s, and yet she struggles still. And it is her struggling that makes her voice so compelling and so damn real!  While this book isn't my favorite Lamott, I still enjoyed it and heard her in it...My favorite Lamott, hands down: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

"In prayer, I see the suffering bathed in light" --Anne Lamott

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"howl the eternal yes"

Image
Just read a CNN article this morning about the Aurora Borealis making an appearance. It reminded me of Northern Exposure and Chris the DJ. So, thought I would share a quote as I reminisce about the Aurora Borealis, a.k.a. The Northern Lights, which I saw my first year at the Farm in Massachusetts, which I actually saw on my 23rd birthday!--the best birthday present I ever got!! "There's a dark side to each and every human soul. We wish we were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there's a little Darth Vader in all of us. Thing is, this ain't no either-or proposition. We're talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into us. You can run but you can't hide. My experience? Face the darkness. Stare it down. Own it. As brother Nietzsche said, being human is a complicated gig. So give that ol' dark night of the soul a hug. Howl the eternal yes!" ~ Chris, Northern Exposure, "Aurora Borealis (A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups).” It feel...
Read more

eggnog with lighter fluid and other cherished Christmas memories

Image
I started digging to find my favorite Christmas-esque scenes/lines from movies and I was pleased with what I found. In spirit of my 14's lists, here goes: 1. Charles De Mar: "Ah, come on! It's Christmas Eve! I could be home right now, drinking this *monster* eggnog my brother makes with lighter fluid." ~ Better Off Dead I also love the present opening scene on Christmas day, where his mother is dressed like a reindeer, his father gets an ardvark jacket and the kids get freezer dinners. Pan out to the neighbors Christmas when the French foreign exchange student gets a framed picture of Ricky. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! 2. When Zuzu says to George Bailey, "Look, daddy! Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an Angel gets his wings." George quietly agrees, "Attaboy, Clarence," as "Auld Lang Syne" rings out. That scene makes me cry everytime. (I also love that if George had never been around, Mary became a spinster librarian--see pic) ~ It's a W...
Read more

sample retirement acceptance letter

Image
The hardest part of being the Director in a small library is that we don't have an HR person, so on top of everything else we do we also get to do the paperwork for the new hires, and retires. Thank God for the internet or these processes would take a lot longer!  One of my board members pointed out that though I'd been informed of staff retirements, I had to officially accept them with a letter...I am finding that a paper trail is an important thing. So, I found a short and simple letter on one university's HR website (sorry forgot which!?) and honed it to work for us. Attached is my sample of a retirement letter.  Is anyone else out there going through this process too?
Read more