Now that ARTSPEAK! Portraits is a fait accompli, it's time to play catch-up. And boy oh boy, do I have a long list of posts to share with you!Let's start with the one and only Anne Lamott, who visited Birmingham in early April. (My May 3 blog post at Smack Dab in the Middle also mentions Anne!) This was my second time to hear Anne speak, and this time Paul was with me. Anne's visit was part of her book tour for her latest book HALLELUJAH ANYWAY: Rediscovering Mercy. As always, there was much to celebrate in that room, and I came away with quite a few scribbles in ye ol' notebook. Here's a sampling:
Mercy is radical kindness.
Help is the sunny side of control.
Shade is a form of mercy.
Willingness comes from pain.
Every human deserves to feel loved, chosen, and safe.
Holding resentments is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die.
If you don't reveal it, you can't heal it.
2 powerful words: "Me, too."
The opposite of mercy is shame.
What is GOD? a Gift Of Desperation.
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Anne also shared an e.e. cummings poem and mentioned these three poets as ones she enjoys reading: Denise Levertov, Sharon Olds, Mary Oliver. The book opens with "Famous" by Naomi Shihab Nye. Do I have to say I felt right at home? Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
Hallelujah! I saw her in early April, too :-) It was an emotional outing -- the question and answer session in particular, since people brought their innermost selves out and shared them with her and three thousand other people. It makes me verklempt just thinking about it. Thank goodness for mercy.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen her speak, and it sounds quite wonderful, as does this new book. Glad you had the chance to fill yourself with her words, Irene.
ReplyDeleteHallelujah Anyway sounds wonderful....like I've needed it. I've had some resentments building up over things in our world and I need to find the hallelujah in it. I love your notes and can swee why you felt right at home.
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