As much memoir as essays, it's a fascinating look at the author's spiritual journey.

Sent to Trekwoman on 31 May 2008.

I love Anne Lamott's work. She is one of the best and most realistic writers on faith I've ever had the pleasure to read.

While I love Anne Lamott, I didn't love this book. I simply wasn't interested in her childhood and young adult life, which made it all the harder for me to read. After a while, I just gave up.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr- that's not fair! I picked this up again, idly, and found better (more interesting?) stuff in the back, and highlights, and then I started laughing in recognition- which means I still need to read this book, except not right now.

Arrrgh. :: puts it back on the To Be Read pile :: Sneaky trick.

Frankly, this book's wisdom really spoke to me. Aside from the drug use and other choices Anne Lamott has made throughout her lifetime, I can see that she and I are very much alike in our.. selves. I was going to say our thinking, but that's not entirely accurate, nor to say our feelings would be accurate either.

I sat around, laughing aloud and crying at parts, scribbling notes in the margins and using my green highlighter in different passages. The chapter on forgiveness knocked me on my butt. I was sitting down at the time, but internally, was knocked on my butt. And it woke me up. And part of the anger I've been harboring toward my mother (who is dying of cureable cancer), my former best friend DK and my former fiance S.(whom I broke up with because I couldn't handle life anymore- and the idea of being married felt like a prison sentence with death at the end rather than the somewhat hard and somewhat joyful togetherness I'd been needing instead and hoping for).. that was gone. And then I knew I needed to talk and make amends (if I could, or if I couldn't, just let the people know I forgave them and I love them) and then I will accept what is.

It is what it is.

Thanks to Anne Lamott for writing this honest and insightful book. I can't wait to have my own copy. I'll probably wind up highlighting the entire thing.

I'm sort of amused. I'd released this book to my sister, who didn't read it. I think it's come back to me at a time when I could stand reading it again.

Oh, I am laughing so hard. I'm still doing the same thing: pg. 152 "..this was one of the hardest things to do--to stop trying to make things come out better than they were."

HA! I do this all the time. I'm doing it right now, or, I was doing it six minutes ago while reading the book and remembering how I broke up my engagment and was kicking myself (right now) for having done it (three years ago).. but, when I read that sentence, I stopped and I remembered WHY I broke it off. And even with my trip next week.. I'm still trying so hard to make something else be more than it is, when maybe I need to realize it might work, and it might not, and that I do have other options if it doesn't work out.

Oh. I feel a lot better now.

See? I *did* need to read this book!

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Book was released with two others for a themed release challenge. Book location: Bus stop on Ridge Road and Halsted Streets, Route 352, southbound. Happy hunting!