When I read Anne Lamott, I laugh and cry and nod my head in agreement. In this book, she shares her thoughts on a variety of topics. If you enjoy her writing, you will enjoy this book.
I laughed out loud when in her chapter on writing she said, “And everything that happened to you belongs to you. If people wanted you to write more warmly about them, they should have behaved better” (68).
Her writing draws on her life experiences and it draws me in with its truth telling. She writes about prayer, making life choices, end of life, and relationships.
“The lesson here is that there is no fix. There is, however, forgiveness. To forgive yourselves and others constantly is necessary. Not only is everyone screwed up, but everyone screws up” (50).
”…the more time you spend in the presence of death, the less you fear it. Your life will be greatly enhanced by spending time with dying people, even though you’ve been taught to avoid doing so” (77). I agree wholeheartedly!
”I wish good things lasted forever. That would work best for me. But God is a lot more subtle than I am comfortable with. Saint John wrote that God is Love, that anytime you experience kindness and generosity, hope, patience and caring, you are in the presence of God” (102).
“Hospice is the cavalry. Hospice means that death isn’t going to be nearly as bad as you think” (125). I am thankful when people agree with these words and trust Hospice to enter their homes and allow us to join in life beside you. I often say-we can’t make it easy. My hope is that we can make this time a little easier.
This book will not take you long to read, and then the words inside will stay with you. You may be challenged and changed and encouraged to see things in a new way. Give this book a read!
