James Carville

I read [b:Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith|10890|Traveling Mercies Some Thoughts on Faith|Anne Lamott|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320444231s/10890.jpg|14837] about ten years ago and decided that while Anne Lamott may be a very high-maintenance person in the flesh, she writes so well it really doesn't matter. Many of her nonfiction works have taken turns on my nightstand. Reading this slim volume feels like picking up the conversation with an old acquaintance. Anne doesn't pose as an expert on prayer but opens her own sweet, paranoid heart and spills out what she's learned and witnessed. While this is vintage Anne, by page 49 I wondered if this personal approach (and slightly gloomy tone) could work. After all, I think of prayer as akin to making love -- so mystical, intimate, and individual that I don't say a lot about it in casual conversation. My attention flagged a bit, wondering if Anne had anything to say to me regarding how each person communicates with the divine.

Then i turned the page and read, "But if you've been around for a while, you know that much of the time, if you are patient and paying attention, you will see that God will restore what the locust have taken away." boom. "restore what the locust have taken away." I roll this notion over and over in my heart like a spiritual talisman; I have for the past few years. Perhaps because I've "been around for a while" now, and realize that only God can make all of this come out right and I really really really want, need, trust-because-there's-no-other-option God will. With this sense of connection, I'll keep reading.

By a Saturday evening fire I finished reading Anne's thoughts on prayer. I still love her curmudgeonly self-deprecating voice and found comfort in this as well as her continuing faith journey when most established writers steer clear of the topic in personal terms. (Albiet, "spirituality" is fast rising as the hip subject for more emerging writers and media gurus than you could swing a cat at.)… (more)

I'm so glad a writing professor fifteen years ago made me read "Bird by Bird," because from the first page, I became a Lamott fangirl. Her writing alone is so clear, but as an added bonus, the content is inspiring and instructive. No matter where you fall on any faith spectrum, her approach to faith is accessible and non-confrontational. Love her. Loved this book. Some great insights--I know that when I read Lamott I need a pencil in hand, because I'm going to be underlining and writing notes in the margins. This was no different.… (more)