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patlo's Reviews (1.32k)
In our current culture, we usually rush through threshold moments - those borders between past and future, life transitions. We don't pause and reflect; we don't celebrate or mark those passages. But borderlands are meant to be explored, and thresholds are meant to be encountered and processed.
This little book is a powerful punch.
Esther de Waal looks at what it is like to live in actual “border country,” the Welsh countryside with its “slower rhythms” and “earth-linked textures,” and explores the importance of opening up and being receptive to one’s surroundings, whatever they may be.
I blogged a series in summary at http://www.patloughery.com/tag/to-pause-at-the-threshold/.
Here is my 1-page summary paper that I wrote for my doctoral class in Rhythms of Living:
To Pause at the Threshold
by Esther de Waal
Morehouse (2001)
Description of the Book
To Pause at the Threshold is a short exploration of the boundary spaces in our lives and our response to these thresholds. In our everyday lives, we are often so busy that we don’t pause and consider the changes we’re going through, and therefore we miss the opportunity to gain something from these threshold moments.
This idea is similar to and also refers to the monastic practice of statio, or leaving time to stand still and let go of the demands of the previous activity, and allowing oneself to prepare a space for the work of God.
Interpretation of the Book
The author begins by discussing border places, writing from her home at the border between Wales and England. She then writes an interlude based upon the role of the porter in St. Benedict’s Rule; the porter’s role is to work at the edge of the monastery and provide deep hospitality to those who come from outside the monastery inside its walls.
The book continues with a look at the transitions between nighttime and daytime, and from season to season. Next, the author describes the life transitions revolving around rites of passage and rituals of transition, encouraging us to see the Psalms as the prayer book for such real changes. The next section deals with transitions between the inner life and the outer life, and then finishes with a challenge to be open to outsiders and those different from us in order to learn from them and be changed by them.
Application
I find myself nodding and highlighting when reading this book. I am one of those whom de Waal describes, busily plowing through transition points in my day and in my life, without reflecting upon those transitions. This is perhaps why I sense the Spirit of God inviting me to practice mindfulness and attentiveness in the moment, and to also live a more contemplative and reflective life in the midst of my busy schedule.
I enjoyed the Celtic practice of celebrating the transition of the seasons; these transitions happen earlier in the year than our contemporary marking points. I am trying to find a good online calendar of these days and other holy days (especially the feast days of Celtic saints) so that I can incorporate these rhythms into my daily and yearly calendar.
I loved de Waal’s challenge to learn from the land, watching the way it changes and moves. As a renewed gardener, I am learning much about the rhythms of life from this glimpse of nature.
De Waal’s book reminded me of Kathleen Norris’ Dakota, which also balances nature and theology in a very practical way.
This little book is a powerful punch.
Esther de Waal looks at what it is like to live in actual “border country,” the Welsh countryside with its “slower rhythms” and “earth-linked textures,” and explores the importance of opening up and being receptive to one’s surroundings, whatever they may be.
I blogged a series in summary at http://www.patloughery.com/tag/to-pause-at-the-threshold/.
Here is my 1-page summary paper that I wrote for my doctoral class in Rhythms of Living:
To Pause at the Threshold
by Esther de Waal
Morehouse (2001)
Description of the Book
To Pause at the Threshold is a short exploration of the boundary spaces in our lives and our response to these thresholds. In our everyday lives, we are often so busy that we don’t pause and consider the changes we’re going through, and therefore we miss the opportunity to gain something from these threshold moments.
This idea is similar to and also refers to the monastic practice of statio, or leaving time to stand still and let go of the demands of the previous activity, and allowing oneself to prepare a space for the work of God.
Interpretation of the Book
The author begins by discussing border places, writing from her home at the border between Wales and England. She then writes an interlude based upon the role of the porter in St. Benedict’s Rule; the porter’s role is to work at the edge of the monastery and provide deep hospitality to those who come from outside the monastery inside its walls.
The book continues with a look at the transitions between nighttime and daytime, and from season to season. Next, the author describes the life transitions revolving around rites of passage and rituals of transition, encouraging us to see the Psalms as the prayer book for such real changes. The next section deals with transitions between the inner life and the outer life, and then finishes with a challenge to be open to outsiders and those different from us in order to learn from them and be changed by them.
Application
I find myself nodding and highlighting when reading this book. I am one of those whom de Waal describes, busily plowing through transition points in my day and in my life, without reflecting upon those transitions. This is perhaps why I sense the Spirit of God inviting me to practice mindfulness and attentiveness in the moment, and to also live a more contemplative and reflective life in the midst of my busy schedule.
I enjoyed the Celtic practice of celebrating the transition of the seasons; these transitions happen earlier in the year than our contemporary marking points. I am trying to find a good online calendar of these days and other holy days (especially the feast days of Celtic saints) so that I can incorporate these rhythms into my daily and yearly calendar.
I loved de Waal’s challenge to learn from the land, watching the way it changes and moves. As a renewed gardener, I am learning much about the rhythms of life from this glimpse of nature.
De Waal’s book reminded me of Kathleen Norris’ Dakota, which also balances nature and theology in a very practical way.
There's been a lot of well-deserved buzz from the first book in this series, and some more mixed reviews on this one. So I'll post my opinion :)
Compared to Firekeeper's Daughter, this story has fewer characters and less well developed characters in general. This story is set essentially in the next generation after the first book, and main characters from the first book are background characters in this one. This story has a similar kind of story pacing.
But on the plus side, a deep look at MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous) and at the problems of repatriation of remains and artifacts with a lot of references to NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) legislation. It could be heavy-handed, but it's not - you learn about these realities through the eyes of a main character, and the story is central to the plot without being clunky.
I learned a lot - a sneaky amount, given that I follow some of those issues already - and it was all still wrapped up in a YA adventure-ish format.
Both are great as audiobooks, too.
Compared to Firekeeper's Daughter, this story has fewer characters and less well developed characters in general. This story is set essentially in the next generation after the first book, and main characters from the first book are background characters in this one. This story has a similar kind of story pacing.
But on the plus side, a deep look at MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous) and at the problems of repatriation of remains and artifacts with a lot of references to NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) legislation. It could be heavy-handed, but it's not - you learn about these realities through the eyes of a main character, and the story is central to the plot without being clunky.
I learned a lot - a sneaky amount, given that I follow some of those issues already - and it was all still wrapped up in a YA adventure-ish format.
Both are great as audiobooks, too.
Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew
Michael D. Leinbach, Jonathan H. Ward
Earlier this spring my teenage son and I had the privilege of attending the once-monthly Launch Director Tour of the Spaced Shuttle Atlantis while at Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral, Florida. The tour was led by Michael Leinbach, who had retired a decade before as the Launch Director responsible for about the last 1/3 of Shuttle launches before the program ended. Leinbach was also launch Director for the Columbia for its final mission, which saw heat dissipating tiles fall and damage the leading edge of Columbia's left wing, rendering it vulnerable on re-entry. Columbia and its crew of seven did not survive re-entry.
Leinbach was named one of the leaders of the recovery effort of both human remains and of the Shuttle itself in the weeks and months following that disaster.
This is the story of the combined work of Nasa, FEMA, local citizens and community members in Texas and Louisiana where most of the human and spacecraft remains were found, the delicate work of leading a community of volunteers and mourning staff in the recovery effort as well as the complex project of discovering the actual cause of the shuttle's failure.
It's a difficult book to describe... it's deeply powerful emotionally, deeply detailed in its description, and deeply human. It could have been a story of system failure and finger pointing; or a heroic story of people coming together under great stress; or a dry post-incident analysis report readout. It balances the seriousness and complexity of its subject with human interest, cultural sensitivity, mourning and pride, and grace. It's not a fun read, but it's an important one. It's never insensitive, but it tells a behind-the-scenes story with depth of honesty and truth.
If you're interested in space travel, or grew up in the Shuttle era like I did, or just love a well told nonfiction history, read this book.
And if you are near Cape Canaveral when Leinbach does his guided tours of the Atlantis, during which he describes the Shuttle program as well as the Challenger and Columbia disasters with profound humanity, join him. It's well worth your time.
Leinbach was named one of the leaders of the recovery effort of both human remains and of the Shuttle itself in the weeks and months following that disaster.
This is the story of the combined work of Nasa, FEMA, local citizens and community members in Texas and Louisiana where most of the human and spacecraft remains were found, the delicate work of leading a community of volunteers and mourning staff in the recovery effort as well as the complex project of discovering the actual cause of the shuttle's failure.
It's a difficult book to describe... it's deeply powerful emotionally, deeply detailed in its description, and deeply human. It could have been a story of system failure and finger pointing; or a heroic story of people coming together under great stress; or a dry post-incident analysis report readout. It balances the seriousness and complexity of its subject with human interest, cultural sensitivity, mourning and pride, and grace. It's not a fun read, but it's an important one. It's never insensitive, but it tells a behind-the-scenes story with depth of honesty and truth.
If you're interested in space travel, or grew up in the Shuttle era like I did, or just love a well told nonfiction history, read this book.
And if you are near Cape Canaveral when Leinbach does his guided tours of the Atlantis, during which he describes the Shuttle program as well as the Challenger and Columbia disasters with profound humanity, join him. It's well worth your time.
Not my favorite of Rohr's books, though I really appreciated his thesis that there are two parts of life: the first part, aimed at establish ourselves, achieving, understanding ourselves; and the second part, aimed at giving away of ourselves, serving others, sharing wisdom. In this transition and the related work he does with men (in particular) around social rituals, there is a lot of wisdom. In particular, I noticed a lot of truth in his emphasis that some people cannot make the transition to the second part of life because they are not yet able to maturely understand and establish themselves apart from their own envisioned ideals of role and function.
But this book is spotty; some parts I loved, some parts I really just wanted to skim through. It's fairly conversational in tone (and especially so in audiobook form with the author reading his work). In his late chapter on depression, he's able to vocally nuance what I suspect wasn't well nuanced in the words on the page. But often I had a sense that Rohr's attention and focus had wandered from his theme, and so did my own.
Much of Rohr's writing overlaps his other works. I prefer both [b:The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See|6522506|The Naked Now Learning to See as the Mystics See|Richard Rohr|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391219464s/6522506.jpg|6714418] and [b:Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer|348850|Everything Belongs The Gift of Contemplative Prayer|Richard Rohr|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388180189s/348850.jpg|339127] to his later work, though perhaps that is just due to a deeper interest in the subject matter.
But this book is spotty; some parts I loved, some parts I really just wanted to skim through. It's fairly conversational in tone (and especially so in audiobook form with the author reading his work). In his late chapter on depression, he's able to vocally nuance what I suspect wasn't well nuanced in the words on the page. But often I had a sense that Rohr's attention and focus had wandered from his theme, and so did my own.
Much of Rohr's writing overlaps his other works. I prefer both [b:The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See|6522506|The Naked Now Learning to See as the Mystics See|Richard Rohr|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391219464s/6522506.jpg|6714418] and [b:Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer|348850|Everything Belongs The Gift of Contemplative Prayer|Richard Rohr|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388180189s/348850.jpg|339127] to his later work, though perhaps that is just due to a deeper interest in the subject matter.