A Spiritual Landscape
I had heard mention of The Divine Hours before, but I knew nothing of what it contained or the author. I now know very little of what it contains, but I know more about the author. Phyllis Tickle is the author of that book, as well as this one which is the memoirs of her life.
I have a tendency to pick a book out by it's cover, and although we are told not to judge them in that way, I usually have chosen well in doing so. Mrs. Tickle tells about her life, and how her spiritual life was shaped. I don't know if Mrs. Tickle and I would have ever had the ability to get to know one another had we lived next door, but through this book I can say we shared many things, as well as had many differences. And so lies all humanity.
Mrs. Tickle does a wonderful job in her writing, and in her sharing of just the right stories, to show what it was like for her to grow up in America and how it affected her spirit. You know you don't have everything, but you have enough. Enough to grasp what affected her, how it changed her, and how she came to be who she was. Or enough so that you think you have a grasping. There were so many words in this book that shot straight to my heart. Words that will stay with me because they are true. To be honest, there are probably many things that we wouldn't agree with on the surface, but I am believing that we would both agree on the process of how we can to our own decisions.
This book was a wonderful autobiography and one day I may read more written by Mrs. Tickle, but for now this was enough to have me considering, thinking, and contemplating for a long time to come.