Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

I discovered Anne Lamott decades ago through her book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Promoted as a book on how to be a writer, Bird by Bird is more the gospel of how to live with genuine curiosity and commitment. Her instruction to pump out those “sh*##y first drafts” gave me permission to be a stinky writer on the way to writing something that might tell me how I really feel about life.

In 1999 I read Lamott’s Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. I laughed and cried my way from page to page as she described how she replaced drugs and alcohol with Jesus and chocolate. I was overjoyed to have found a spiritual teacher who bounced off of the mystery of God with skepticism softened by humor.

I have followed Lamott as her thoughts on faith have evolved. In each new book she shares a ripening sense of wonder and compassion for herself and for the world. She offers a virtual hug as she forgives anyone, herself included, who creates messes through the tragedy and comedy of the human experience.

With each new book, Lamott provides a model for how to be more serene and mellow without giving up hope or courage. Her words help me blunt the sharp edges of anger and disappointment so that I practice how to love more than rage, pray more than argue.

by Linda Mastro