Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith
Anne Lamott
$10.17 used from Amazon.com

Throughout the book, Lamott tells stories, simple stories at that. But despite the simple nature of each chapter, whether it is about a family member, a personal challenge, or a brief anecdote, she finds the sacred in places where it would usually go unnoticed. Most captivating of all though are her characters, always individuals that we can recognize in our own life: the best friend, the imperfect parent or the generous old church member. Lamott shapes each human encounter with the familiarity of own experiences, even the ones we wish were not so familiar. And throughout all of it, she has knack for throwing out little life mantras. Her words are ones to live by.

Beyond her delightful writing style though is a message as simple as her stories, God's unending love for our imperfect selves. Though admitingly resistant and caught up in distractions as a young adult, Lamott tells of her move toward God, her move towards her true self and the progress she continues to make. Whether it is in the latest Disney movie or on the posters in our classrooms, we are told from an early age to just be ourselves. Lamott challenges this perspective though as she speaks of how she moved past who she was, and instead became who she wanted to be, or rather who God asked her to be. This book is a-must-read for anyone needing to reminded of the beauty God makes out of our self-inflicted destruction.