His hand shook as he told the very short story of the angel who came to earth with a torch and pail. I wasn’t going to tell you this, he said, smiling, but I’ve decided to. This is what Richard…
Nonfiction
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This weekend I’m at a seminar hosted by the Center for Action and Contemplation, Richard Rohr’s spiritual think tank in Albuquerque. A stroke, a heart attack, and cancer treatments have taken their toll on Rohr. He was rolled onto stage…
I picked up a book for its title, “Things in Nature Merely Grow.” I liked its green ombré cover in shades of moss and was familiar with the author, Yiyun Li. Soon I felt both horror and awe: this is the book Li wrote…
“…. I set off in search of a cup of tea. At Hakujukan, the lodge next to Eiheiji, I encountered a friendly [Buddhist] nun with a kind, open face. I asked her a question, and we fell into easy conversation.”…
Farrell Mason stepped up to the podium in a “Je t’aime” tee shirt, pantsuit, and warm smile. I’m trying to remember if her long blond hair was down or in a ponytail but that detail escapes me. She’s a part-time…
It’s a lot to process, when your beloved father-in-law passes less than a week before your book launches. This is the situation Betsy Wills finds herself in. A few nights ago, she was telling me how her husband and his…
At Abe’s Garden, minds fail, and sometimes bodies too. Abe’s Garden is a memory care facility here in Nashville. My mother wanders there now, hugging staff members, developing a reputation for being sweet though she doesn’t have many words these…
Anne Lamott is at her absolute best in her new book Somehow: Thoughts on Love. She writes about her usual topics – her difficult son and adorable grandson, her kind second husband, beloved friends, the local homeless, her small church,…
Anxiety. Dread. Terror. Repulsion. The cicadas are coming for my face – soon – and I am not okay. My friend Google and the fearless Margaret Atwood offered some advice this week. Here are five suggestions and strategies, in case…