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Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life
“There is a part of the soul that stirs at night, in the dark and soundless times of day, when our defenses are down and our daylight distractions no longer serve to protect us from ourselves,” writes beloved author, Joan Chittister. “It’s then, in the still of life, when we least expect it, that questions emerge from the damp murkiness of our inner underworld…These questions do not call for the discovery of data; they call for the contemplation of possibility.”
In words as wise as they are inspiring, Between the Dark and the Daylight explores the concerns of modern life, of the overworked mind and hurting heart. These are the paradoxical—and often frustrating—moments when our lives feel at odds with everything around us.
Only by embracing the contradictions, Chittister contends, may we live well amid stress, withstand emotional storms, and satisfy our yearnings for something transcendent and real. By delving into the chaos, this book guides us through the questions that seemed easier to avoid and enlightens what has been out of focus.
With her signature elegance, wit, and spirit, the bestselling author of The Gift of Years and Following the Path opens our eyes and hearts in these times of confusion. With simple and poignant meditations, Between the Dark and the Daylight reveals how we can better understand ourselves, one another, and God.
In words as wise as they are inspiring, Between the Dark and the Daylight explores the concerns of modern life, of the overworked mind and hurting heart. These are the paradoxical—and often frustrating—moments when our lives feel at odds with everything around us.
Only by embracing the contradictions, Chittister contends, may we live well amid stress, withstand emotional storms, and satisfy our yearnings for something transcendent and real. By delving into the chaos, this book guides us through the questions that seemed easier to avoid and enlightens what has been out of focus.
With her signature elegance, wit, and spirit, the bestselling author of The Gift of Years and Following the Path opens our eyes and hearts in these times of confusion. With simple and poignant meditations, Between the Dark and the Daylight reveals how we can better understand ourselves, one another, and God.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published February 24, 2015
174 people are currently reading
1041 people want to read
About the author
Joan D. Chittister
205 books293 followersJoan Daugherty Chittister, O.S.B., is an American Benedictine nun, theologian, author, and speaker. She has served as Benedictine prioress and Benedictine federation president, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
February 1, 2017
True to Chittister...another solid read that calls for personal reflection not proscriptive paths. Her questions invite pause, rumination and with the right companions discussion regardless of ones spirituality. Rather her writing draws on our shared humanity.
May 22, 2015
Joan Chittister is a Benedictine nun and author of over 50 books of theology. Somehow I had never heard of her before I requested this title from Blogging for Books. Between the Dark and the Daylight, which came out in February, strikes me as a work of practical spirituality with a self-help bent. It’s not very religion-specific; in fact, Jesus is only mentioned four times, and the word “Christian” appears just once.
Based on the title, I was expecting something like Barbara Brown Taylor’s Learning to Walk in the Dark, which is more about metaphors of darkness and how times of doubt and suffering may actually be helpful for people of faith. Although there is likely some overlap between the two, Chittister’s subtitle – Embracing the Contradictions of Life – gives a better idea of what her book is about. Her focus on oxymorons and pairs of opposites spurs readers to re-evaluate and redefine experiences that are always envisioned as negative: frustration, confusion, loss, solitude, and doubt (in this last she reminds me of Peter Rollins).
Chittister takes emotions seriously, but at the same time she gently nudges us to look below the surface and ask what’s really going on within.
In Chapter 2, “The Delusion of Frustration,” for example, she insists that “Frustration is a cover-up for something we have yet to face in ourselves. … It’s what we use to explain the sour or pouty or demanding or manipulative attitudes we have developed. It is the right we assert to be less than we are capable of being.”
Rather than seeing uncertainty as negative, we should consider it as fostering “the spirit of invention and possibility”: “Life is about participating in the fine art of finding ourselves—our talents, our confidence, our sense of self, our purpose in life.”
Rather than letting failure drive us into despair, we must “pursue the possible in the imperfect,” for “hope lies in taking what we have … and using every heartbeat within us to turn it into something worthwhile.” As Churchill once said, “Success is bounding from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
“The Creativity of Confusion” and “The Liberation in Loss” are two more stand-out chapters, with too many quotable lines to mention here.
This book has been quite inspirational for me. It’s refreshing to see that Chittister doesn’t advocate mute resignation to what life/God/Fate has in store for us; “it is as much our responsibility to shape life as it is for life to shape us.” I especially appreciated her advice to “Plant yourself where you know you can bloom.”
If I were being critical, I might say that her prose is a little repetitive and too reliant on quotes and anecdotes from external sources. She is certainly more focused on ideas than on writing style. This is a common complaint I have about theology books: if academic, they’re inaccessible; if popular, they’re averagely written.
Nevertheless, I think Chittister’s work will be revelatory for a lot of people. And you don’t have to be a Catholic, or even a Christian, to find wisdom here. (My NetGalley request to read the book was initially declined because I’m not a Catholic blogger, a curious instance of narrow, discriminatory thinking.) Anyone who wants to pursue a life of joy and purpose – who dares to believe that life could be more than a cycle of frustration and hopelessness – will want to give this a read.
(Originally published with images at my blog, Bookish Beck.)
Based on the title, I was expecting something like Barbara Brown Taylor’s Learning to Walk in the Dark, which is more about metaphors of darkness and how times of doubt and suffering may actually be helpful for people of faith. Although there is likely some overlap between the two, Chittister’s subtitle – Embracing the Contradictions of Life – gives a better idea of what her book is about. Her focus on oxymorons and pairs of opposites spurs readers to re-evaluate and redefine experiences that are always envisioned as negative: frustration, confusion, loss, solitude, and doubt (in this last she reminds me of Peter Rollins).
To the average person whose life is exemplary most of all for its ordinariness—to people like you and me, for instance—it is what goes on inside of us that matters for the healthy life and real spirituality. … Whatever it is that we harbor in the soul throughout the nights of our lives is what we will live out during the hours of the day.
Chittister takes emotions seriously, but at the same time she gently nudges us to look below the surface and ask what’s really going on within.
In Chapter 2, “The Delusion of Frustration,” for example, she insists that “Frustration is a cover-up for something we have yet to face in ourselves. … It’s what we use to explain the sour or pouty or demanding or manipulative attitudes we have developed. It is the right we assert to be less than we are capable of being.”
Rather than seeing uncertainty as negative, we should consider it as fostering “the spirit of invention and possibility”: “Life is about participating in the fine art of finding ourselves—our talents, our confidence, our sense of self, our purpose in life.”
Rather than letting failure drive us into despair, we must “pursue the possible in the imperfect,” for “hope lies in taking what we have … and using every heartbeat within us to turn it into something worthwhile.” As Churchill once said, “Success is bounding from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
“The Creativity of Confusion” and “The Liberation in Loss” are two more stand-out chapters, with too many quotable lines to mention here.
This book has been quite inspirational for me. It’s refreshing to see that Chittister doesn’t advocate mute resignation to what life/God/Fate has in store for us; “it is as much our responsibility to shape life as it is for life to shape us.” I especially appreciated her advice to “Plant yourself where you know you can bloom.”
If I were being critical, I might say that her prose is a little repetitive and too reliant on quotes and anecdotes from external sources. She is certainly more focused on ideas than on writing style. This is a common complaint I have about theology books: if academic, they’re inaccessible; if popular, they’re averagely written.
Nevertheless, I think Chittister’s work will be revelatory for a lot of people. And you don’t have to be a Catholic, or even a Christian, to find wisdom here. (My NetGalley request to read the book was initially declined because I’m not a Catholic blogger, a curious instance of narrow, discriminatory thinking.) Anyone who wants to pursue a life of joy and purpose – who dares to believe that life could be more than a cycle of frustration and hopelessness – will want to give this a read.
(Originally published with images at my blog, Bookish Beck.)
January 19, 2018
Joan Chittister is one of my favorite authors and she didn't disappoint in this book. If you're troublled by the contradictions in your life or if you're completely sure of your path this book has something for you. Her remarkable insight will challenge you to think anew on a number of topics.
April 2, 2023
3.75
Bản dịch tiếng Việt là "Giữa bóng tối và ánh sáng"
Sách viết khá tốt về tư duy nhị nguyên. Phân tích mặt tối sáng sáng tối của nhiều khía cạnh trong cuộc sống.
Dù có quan tâm tới tâm linh hay không thì mình nghĩ chủ đề về tư duy nhị nguyên cũng đã là rất hấp dẫn để chúng ta đọc và tìm hiểu.
Bản dịch tiếng Việt là "Giữa bóng tối và ánh sáng"
Sách viết khá tốt về tư duy nhị nguyên. Phân tích mặt tối sáng sáng tối của nhiều khía cạnh trong cuộc sống.
Dù có quan tâm tới tâm linh hay không thì mình nghĩ chủ đề về tư duy nhị nguyên cũng đã là rất hấp dẫn để chúng ta đọc và tìm hiểu.
September 1, 2015
The both/and instead of either/or nature of this book makes it a worthwhile read. Some of the author's phrases, sentences and paragraphs are quotable and really hit home, tell the truth about this messy and marvellous life of ours. Some of the latter chapters started to sound like previous chapters, perhaps given the nature of the book, and some of the latter chapters also sat there and spun their wheels. All in all, I'm glad I read this book.
March 25, 2017
One of these days, I am actually going to start a discussion group for Joan Chittister books instead of just putting her work passively onto the "If you read this book, I will buy you a hot beverage and pastry and we can discuss it" shelf.
October 22, 2015
Our modern world is full of contradictions and I think this is part of our being plugged in all the time. We live busy lives in order to feel fulfilled and are sometimes lonely in a crowd. We want more free time but then are bored easily. How do we navigate this modern day conundrum? Between the Dark and Daylight explores this question. I wanted to read this book because I was intrigued by the title. I am kind of a late night owl myself and I can identify with the late night anxieties and thoughts that keep you awake and pondering before you go to sleep or during the night.
Sister Joan is very insightful and thoughtful. She suggests it is these very contradictions that trouble us but also by embracing them we can become more aware and more human. What exactly is more human? I think it means more our true selves. From the chapter entitled “The Noise Within the Silent Self” I quote ‘The major question of a person’s life lies in whether or not we are willing to bring both parts of the self together- the public one and the hidden one- to stop pretending, at least to our selves, in order to become the person we seem to be”. I think this encapsulates the overarching theme of the book.
The chapters are short and easily managed during one sitting, but I found myself shutting the book and pondering the content. Right after finishing the book, I started to reread it again and I hardly ever feel that way about a book. Sometimes you need to sit with a sentence a little longer. I will be using my highlighter and making more connections the second time read through. This is the type of book you will cherish and reread.
I would definitely recommend this book to you. Possibly the best time to read it would be during your “Between the Dark and Daylight”. Of course this can mean when we feel the “dark” of loneliness or uncertainty and the “light” of consolation and clarity. You won’t want to miss this spiritual journey during both these times of our life.
Sister Joan is very insightful and thoughtful. She suggests it is these very contradictions that trouble us but also by embracing them we can become more aware and more human. What exactly is more human? I think it means more our true selves. From the chapter entitled “The Noise Within the Silent Self” I quote ‘The major question of a person’s life lies in whether or not we are willing to bring both parts of the self together- the public one and the hidden one- to stop pretending, at least to our selves, in order to become the person we seem to be”. I think this encapsulates the overarching theme of the book.
The chapters are short and easily managed during one sitting, but I found myself shutting the book and pondering the content. Right after finishing the book, I started to reread it again and I hardly ever feel that way about a book. Sometimes you need to sit with a sentence a little longer. I will be using my highlighter and making more connections the second time read through. This is the type of book you will cherish and reread.
I would definitely recommend this book to you. Possibly the best time to read it would be during your “Between the Dark and Daylight”. Of course this can mean when we feel the “dark” of loneliness or uncertainty and the “light” of consolation and clarity. You won’t want to miss this spiritual journey during both these times of our life.
January 19, 2016
This is not a self-help book or a deep dive into the struggles of the human condition—rather, it's a collection of essays that succinctly captures the many paradoxes (I know; I am nothing if not predictable) we wrestle with on a daily basis, the ones that tend to haunt us at night and, during the day, interrupt our desperate attempts at cultivating peace.
Chittister's pearls of wisdom here are valuable precisely because it's obvious that they are the result of experience, not just of contemplation. She doesn't tie questions and problems up with a nice, neat bow by the end of each essay; she leaves them intact, but illuminated in ways I found incredibly helpful.
I especially appreciate the way she busts open the myth that peace is "a state of calm":
Essay subjects range from the dark side of security, wealth, and success to the merits of poverty, failure, exhaustion, femininity/masculinity, loss, friendship, solitude, depression, the unknown... you know: All that fun everyday life stuff. I couldn't find a thing I disagreed with in any of them.
Chittister's pearls of wisdom here are valuable precisely because it's obvious that they are the result of experience, not just of contemplation. She doesn't tie questions and problems up with a nice, neat bow by the end of each essay; she leaves them intact, but illuminated in ways I found incredibly helpful.
I especially appreciate the way she busts open the myth that peace is "a state of calm":
We grasp for false calm at every turning of the day and call ourselves damned or cursed or burdened or beaten without it. And yet, if we were forced to live in the peace that is listlessness, we would die from the tedium of it all. We seduce ourselves into thinking that we like the lack of challenge. We forget how dull becalmed can be.
Essay subjects range from the dark side of security, wealth, and success to the merits of poverty, failure, exhaustion, femininity/masculinity, loss, friendship, solitude, depression, the unknown... you know: All that fun everyday life stuff. I couldn't find a thing I disagreed with in any of them.
January 10, 2016
I heard the author interviewed about this book on NPR and thought her ideas sounded appealing. Indeed, I find I agree with and like what she has to say, but I didn't like the book very much. Admittedly, I didn't finish it. I didn't have a sense of the book going somewhere or building to some conclusion that I think would have drawn me back into it each time I put it down. As it is, it's a collection of short essays that could seemingly be in any order. They all relate on the theme of contradictions and finding an idea's opposite inherent within the idea itself, and primarily finding the positive in apparently negative things. Once I'd read the title and first paragraph of an essay, the rest of it felt rather repetitive. I wanted to like this, but it turns out I liked the radio interview a lot more than the book.
August 3, 2016
This book has many short chapters each one addressing an issue like loss, loneliness, success, failure, hopelessness, emptiness. The main message is that there is a gift in every situation, feeing, or experience. However, for me, it felt like a pep talk. Too much like a cliché. It did not seem to be a very deep book. If you have read a lot about spiritual matters this book brings nothing new. If you are a beginner it will be interesting. But I find it hard to believe most of the information here will be new to many people. And she seems to be too "black and white" in her presentation. Rich people do not know they are poor, poor people get it, they are poor and the deal with it. Well, some do and some don't. I was disappointed.
May 3, 2015
Joan Chittister is one of my favorite spiritual writers. She manages to be challenging, inspiring and comforting at the same time. There is a lot of wisdom in these pages.
July 22, 2020
This book made complex and paradoxical things seem so simple. It presented a lot of questions and frustrations of the world, and just worked through them like no big deal. As someone who can get anxious and worked up about things that are not in my control, this book was really impactful to me. It was also especially relevant during this crazy time of covid and just literally everything else going on in the world. I definitely recommend this book, and honestly I will probably be re-reading a few chapters.
September 1, 2015
"And at that point, I am the only one who can rescue me. The others can accompany me. They can look out for me. They can offer me their support and understanding and care. But if there is something missing in my life, I'm the only one who really knows what it is. I am the only one who can put it there." (page 108) I wasn't sure what to think of this. Since the death of my husband in 2012, I have struggled with a sense of loneliness and for all that I pour myself into my job, do public speaking, facilitate a Bible study, and get "out there," I still remain lonely. Others have asked, "How can you be lonely with children still at home?" I just shake my head in annoyance because it isn't about being with other people. I can be in a room full of people and still feel this aching loneliness.
"But loneliness is about more than simply figuring out how to use time while we try to forget the pain that comes when we're at loose ends. It is also a call to make other people's needs our own. What we learn in loneliness is that everybody needs someone. The question at a time like this, then, is 'Who needs something I can do for them?' It's time to get involved with someone else's emotional support in addition to my own. Which is why, perhaps, so many people who lose a loved one begin groups to support people in similar situations." (page 109) Perhaps, on my own, and adding to a ritual of reaching out to others every Tuesday morning in a letter-writing, greeting card way, I have found my own way of healing that loneliness.
I've added "start a widow/widower support group" to my December calendar.
Joan Chittister covers a lot of valid points in her book, but as a widow and mother of eight children, I have to say that as a member of the Benedictine Sisters, she just might not "get it" when it comes to understanding just how little "peaceful, tranquil, contemplative moments" mothers might get. I think that makes a difference in how we handle loneliness, rest, relaxation, friendship, loss, and the myriad of topics the author covers in her book.
About loss? "At the end of the day, though, one thing has become painfully, positively clear: Loss is not loss. It is simply the invitation to find the more of ourselves that is waiting to become the rest of ourselves." (page 105)
Yes and no. Loss IS loss. It is huge, and the loss of my husband is a huge gaping wound. But yes, I am a different person than I was three years ago, and while I hate that I was "refined" by loss, I was.
"But loneliness is about more than simply figuring out how to use time while we try to forget the pain that comes when we're at loose ends. It is also a call to make other people's needs our own. What we learn in loneliness is that everybody needs someone. The question at a time like this, then, is 'Who needs something I can do for them?' It's time to get involved with someone else's emotional support in addition to my own. Which is why, perhaps, so many people who lose a loved one begin groups to support people in similar situations." (page 109) Perhaps, on my own, and adding to a ritual of reaching out to others every Tuesday morning in a letter-writing, greeting card way, I have found my own way of healing that loneliness.
I've added "start a widow/widower support group" to my December calendar.
Joan Chittister covers a lot of valid points in her book, but as a widow and mother of eight children, I have to say that as a member of the Benedictine Sisters, she just might not "get it" when it comes to understanding just how little "peaceful, tranquil, contemplative moments" mothers might get. I think that makes a difference in how we handle loneliness, rest, relaxation, friendship, loss, and the myriad of topics the author covers in her book.
About loss? "At the end of the day, though, one thing has become painfully, positively clear: Loss is not loss. It is simply the invitation to find the more of ourselves that is waiting to become the rest of ourselves." (page 105)
Yes and no. Loss IS loss. It is huge, and the loss of my husband is a huge gaping wound. But yes, I am a different person than I was three years ago, and while I hate that I was "refined" by loss, I was.
May 6, 2015
The subtitle of this book is: Embracing the Contradictions of Life, and I believe this is the point of each chapter. For example, chapter two deals with frustration. Whereas most of us try to fix frustration in our lives through quick fixes and remedies that simply keep it at bay for a time--shopping, writing people off, changing jobs on a regular basis, moving to a different neighborhood, etc.--Sister Chittister tells us to embrace frustration closely, to hold it up and examine it, for our frustrations reveal broken and bent areas in our lives that need healing. Our frustrations are the means by which we can discover greater meaning and fulfillment, only if we will really come to welcome what frustration uncovers in us.
Other such topics in her book include the emptiness of accumulation (chapter 7), the loneliness of love (chapter 22), and the necessary role failure plays in success (chapter 9).
Sometimes Chittister plays the role of social and cultural critic and other times she travels as a guide and sojourner on the path toward spiritual renewal. As she is a sister in the Benedictine order, she seems able to view these "contradictions" of the human condition, especially in our present day, from a somewhat set-apart perspective and also draw from wisdom gained not only in her own life, but from the rich tradition passed to her throughout the years ages of which she belongs. Her observations are profound, though sometimes in her quest to be poetic, I feel she loses clarity from time to time; however, I don't think it detracts too much from the overall enjoyment and value of the book.
While her position is deeply Catholic, her thoughts resonate in the larger catholic sense, and are even likely to appeal to spiritual seekers of different faiths.
My 4 stars make this a recommendable read.
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."
Other such topics in her book include the emptiness of accumulation (chapter 7), the loneliness of love (chapter 22), and the necessary role failure plays in success (chapter 9).
Sometimes Chittister plays the role of social and cultural critic and other times she travels as a guide and sojourner on the path toward spiritual renewal. As she is a sister in the Benedictine order, she seems able to view these "contradictions" of the human condition, especially in our present day, from a somewhat set-apart perspective and also draw from wisdom gained not only in her own life, but from the rich tradition passed to her throughout the years ages of which she belongs. Her observations are profound, though sometimes in her quest to be poetic, I feel she loses clarity from time to time; however, I don't think it detracts too much from the overall enjoyment and value of the book.
While her position is deeply Catholic, her thoughts resonate in the larger catholic sense, and are even likely to appeal to spiritual seekers of different faiths.
My 4 stars make this a recommendable read.
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."
May 12, 2015
I actually really enjoyed reading this book. Every night I would curl up in bed and read a couple chapters. Joan had a good way of writing that made it easy to understand and enjoy even though it wasn’t a fiction book, which is usually what I read. Sometimes the chapter was actually perfect to read after what went on during the day. Her writing did get a tad repetitive and I feel her analogies sometimes made it harder to understand, such as the chapter “The Place of Tsunamis in the Ocean of Life.” I feel that that chapter just did not really get to a point and I think Joan just expected you to understand where she was going with it, and I don’t think I did. Joan Chittister did leave a lot to interpretation for you and did not just spell some things out for you.
However, there were a lot of times while I was reading that I just thought “Yes!” and wanted to shove the book at someone else so they would get the point too. I actually wanted to write down so many quotes, which made it hard because then I was writing more than I was reading. I hate to mark books, or else I would have just underlined the sentences. But again, then I’d be underlining every other sentence.
Joan Chittister did have a lot of great points in the book. Like I said, I was writing down so many quotes. This is a book that I would recommend to many people, because it’s easy to read and has a lot of good things that people really should read. It’s not a deep book, and each chapter is only a couple pages. So really it’s up to you how much this book speaks to you.
I received this book from Blogging For Books.
“Frustration lies in what we decide we have a right to demand out of life rather than in concern of what life demands of us.”
However, there were a lot of times while I was reading that I just thought “Yes!” and wanted to shove the book at someone else so they would get the point too. I actually wanted to write down so many quotes, which made it hard because then I was writing more than I was reading. I hate to mark books, or else I would have just underlined the sentences. But again, then I’d be underlining every other sentence.
Joan Chittister did have a lot of great points in the book. Like I said, I was writing down so many quotes. This is a book that I would recommend to many people, because it’s easy to read and has a lot of good things that people really should read. It’s not a deep book, and each chapter is only a couple pages. So really it’s up to you how much this book speaks to you.
I received this book from Blogging For Books.
“Frustration lies in what we decide we have a right to demand out of life rather than in concern of what life demands of us.”
July 11, 2015
enjoyed Chittister's book very much, including: "Security: don’t worship it; don’t count on it. But at the same time understand that the universe is friendly. Something else is waiting for us over the next desert dune. Risk, the willingness to accept an unknown future with open hands and happy heart, is the key to the adventures of the soul. Risk stretches us to discover the rest of ourselves – our creativity, or self-sufficiency, our courage". "Appreciation is the grace of sensibility, of really experiencing every moment for its uniqueness and its awe. It is the posture of the heart that says life is good, I am blessed, the universe is friendly, the world is beautiful". Achievement is the awareness within us that we have stretched ourselves to the full length of ourselves. We have become the best we know how to be. Failure is a necessary part of the process of real and ultimate success. Failure is about deep commitment to personal development. If I am not willing to fail, why not? Failure is a teacher. If we don’t fail we can only guess what success would call for – more exercise, more practice, trying more earnestly. Trial and error is not loss. It is the stepping stone to success.
Chittister wrote that she is indebted to the reader who will assess and discuss and arm wrestle these ideas to the ground of the spirit. Here's to beginning to assess such ideas, initially alone and then to participate in discussions on on what it means to be a thinking, feeling, fully alive human being.
Chittister wrote that she is indebted to the reader who will assess and discuss and arm wrestle these ideas to the ground of the spirit. Here's to beginning to assess such ideas, initially alone and then to participate in discussions on on what it means to be a thinking, feeling, fully alive human being.
September 7, 2015
Sister Joan writes so beautifully about life's contradictions. By being very direct and honest about how to live a life of integrity,she has a voice of one who cares about each person. It is a book to help you calm the storm of your inner critic and listen to the voice of a loving God. She says, "But if we listen with a clearer ear to the voices of the soul when panic sets in, we may hear a different kind of message. We may come to understand there are burdens with certainty as well as the promise of blessings."
She talks about having an awareness and being present to the moments of today. "Those who insist on preserving yesterday when today has already swept it away like sand o a beach lose the opportunity to guide the present."
I recommend this book to anyone who would like to be inspired and have a new perspective.
She talks about having an awareness and being present to the moments of today. "Those who insist on preserving yesterday when today has already swept it away like sand o a beach lose the opportunity to guide the present."
I recommend this book to anyone who would like to be inspired and have a new perspective.
April 23, 2018
Wisdom on every page. It feels like every other line is quote-worthy. For example:
"The more we accrue - from money to jewelry to property to houses - the more we have to guard and tend and protect them. Until pretty soon, we find ourselves spending our lives on taking care of everything our money has bought."
"When we opt for certainty, we make change inconceivable. When change comes unbidden and without our permission, it looks more dangerous than daring, more of an enemy than a liberator."
"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties."
"Only when we can look beyond absolutes to understand every level of life can we possibly live life to the fullest, with the deepest kind of insight, with the greatest degree of compassion for others."
"The more we accrue - from money to jewelry to property to houses - the more we have to guard and tend and protect them. Until pretty soon, we find ourselves spending our lives on taking care of everything our money has bought."
"When we opt for certainty, we make change inconceivable. When change comes unbidden and without our permission, it looks more dangerous than daring, more of an enemy than a liberator."
"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties."
"Only when we can look beyond absolutes to understand every level of life can we possibly live life to the fullest, with the deepest kind of insight, with the greatest degree of compassion for others."
February 12, 2016
This seemed the ideal book to read when experiencing an occasional bout with insomnia. It lived up to this, as the book addressed the sometimes wisdom and purpose behind being stirred or kept awake when everyone else is asleep and when you yourself are not quite fully awake and not at all asleep.
Of course, the book is meant to be more than just addressing one's insomnia. The writing is very poetic and prayerful. It can be read as a series of meditations that enlightens the reader to the possible reasons behind life's ups and downs. It also gently proposes how to address the anxieties that may arise when dealing with these thoughts or issues. A wonderful read.
Of course, the book is meant to be more than just addressing one's insomnia. The writing is very poetic and prayerful. It can be read as a series of meditations that enlightens the reader to the possible reasons behind life's ups and downs. It also gently proposes how to address the anxieties that may arise when dealing with these thoughts or issues. A wonderful read.
April 8, 2016
Joan Chittister addresses the paradoxes of life in this book and helps the reader understand that life must be lived within many competing paradoxes. Some of the topics she addresses include: the mirage of security; the insecurity of certainty; the success of failure; the certitude of doubt; the loneliness of love. I read this book through, but it's probably better dipped into. I found certain concepts repetitive. Each chapter is short (there are 32 chapters in 170 pages) so, while the ideas are interesting, many are glossed over in an effort to keep the whole consistent. Overall, I enjoyed the book.
August 3, 2017
I did enjoy this quick read, ironically reading it before bedtime. First book I've read by Joan Chittister. It was more spiritual than religious. It felt a little like 'preaching to the choir' and/or that I've heard some of the content before. Otherwise, I'd recommend this book for anyone that is really feeling 'where do I go from here' it brought up some good subjects to ponder! I didn't do this, but after reading each chapter it would have been nice to bounce ideas in a journal Now, this isn't a 'how to' book, so don't read if you want advice, but it might just give you some thoughts you haven't thought of! ONLY THE WORK YOU CAN DO WITHIN YOURSELF.
May 11, 2015
Chittister writes a beautiful and lyrical book of essays about the troubles, worries and anxieties that plague us at night. She writes, not as a person who shuns the world, but accepts the world as is and how we should live in the tension. Each essay is short and they weave the narrative throughout the book that if we faced the problems we hide during the day, we will not be afraid of them come nighttime.
May 18, 2015
This was another heavy hitter book. Joan D. Chittister doesn't hold any punches when it comes to telling you how real God is. She will challenge you, but doing so in such an inspiring way that you feel many emotions in the same paragraph! Her style of writing is absolutely breathtaking, so allow some time to devour the sentences. Grab a pen and highlighter so you can make notes without skipping a beat!
February 16, 2016
I'm a lover of Chittister's writing, but this book was not my favorite. I like that the chapters where short making it easy to pick up and rich on many different topics, but that also meant she only touched the surface of each topic she addressed. While Chittister's prose is usually beautiful, here her metaphors and pieces of advice sometimes over-reach or end up clumsy and clunky, but overall I'm glad I read the book.
May 5, 2018
My first (but will not be the last) encounter with Joan Chittister. She describes the paradoxes we all face daily and provides a means for self-reflection to help reconcile the dark and light in our lives. Incredibly thought-providing and at times “indicting.” I chose to read one (short) chapter each day as a journal writing prompt.
“Life is not about us; we are about the project of finding life.”
“Life is not about us; we are about the project of finding life.”
March 31, 2015
Something for everyone
Pros: No matter what you are seeking, you will find something that speaks to you in this book. Joan is an excellent writer and her intelligence without arrogance shines through. It is clear that she is a very wise woman.
Cons: Not every chapter will speak to you like the last. At times, her style is repetitive.
Pros: No matter what you are seeking, you will find something that speaks to you in this book. Joan is an excellent writer and her intelligence without arrogance shines through. It is clear that she is a very wise woman.
Cons: Not every chapter will speak to you like the last. At times, her style is repetitive.
June 8, 2015
Sister Joan Chittister is a deep well of wisdom and insight, but this book doesn't showcase her depth and care as well as her other works. I appreciated her ability to embrace seemingly impossible contradictions, but I wanted her to dive deeper into some topics rather than skipping over the surface of all of them to maintain a consistent tone for the book.
December 7, 2015
Joan Chittister has a firm grim on the realities that drive us today through our daily and spiritual lives. Her examples and lingo are current and immensely relate-able. I loved reading it with a group of women in my church. It was so meaty that having discussions every four chapters brought more meaning and impact to me.
June 22, 2015
Warm and wise sentiments--this is the kind of book to dip into for bits of Truth Saying about Life In General. Not specifically Christian, though written by a modern Christian mystic (nun). Good for reminders of things you might know are true but can't articulate.
October 27, 2015
Really good book, reflecting on the many paradoxes we hold in tension while living modern life. Faith, community, gender identity, creativity--there are so many spaces Chittister touches in this short, worthwhile book. I have shared several chapters with friends and coworkers.
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