Frederick Beuchner
writes as though he were having a friendly visit with you, sharing
his views on God and reflecting on his own story. It’s a wonderful
way to spend a few hours.
In the first part of
the book Beuchner focuses on the arts, music, painting and literature
as a way to become attuned to your life. Music is a particularly good
way to be present in the moment. In music we can feel time. It helps
us focus on being in the world.
In the second half
of the book, Beuchner tells stories from his own life. I particularly
liked the one about Maya Angelou. They were featured on the same
program each telling their story. When he introduced Angelou, he
spoke of the differences between their stories, but Maya focused on
the similarities. Beuchner concludes that the justification for
telling your own story is that it will resonate with others.
Some of the stories
are poignant. Beuchner talks of his father’s suicide. It took many
years for him to come to grips with his feelings. I think that’s
why he so often tells the story.
This is a lovely
book. It gives you much food for thought, a book to be savored not
taken at a gulp.
I received this book
from Handlebar Publishing for this review.
No comments:
Post a Comment