Stitches by Anne Lamott- A Book Review

A few weeks ago, my friend, Kari and I trekked out on a cold November night to see and hear author Anne Lamott discuss her latest work, Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair I've only done this a few times and Lamott was worth braving the chilly air. Her dry wit and blunt observations are a pleasure. This book, although short, is pretty good too.

Lamott spoke about this book arising out of the Newtown school shooting tragedy. How can we, with out finite humanness, begin to make sense out of something so awful? I believe she is quite accurate in writing that to try to make sense is pointless. Instead, just the act of surviving, at some point letting go of the bitterness and anger and possibly even eventually finding beauty again in the midst of chaos is similar to stitching together the tattered pieces of any cloth...be they curtains, socks or quilts.

Lamott is far more liberal that most Christians I know, yet her obvious love for others is very real. To get bogged down in her theology is not the point...to find a friend trying to make sense of senselessness and willing to walk beside you in the storm is a rare gem indeed.