Monday, March 10, 2014

Monday morsel: "We, the people, used to be stupid" (from Brian Doyle)

One of several books I have on the go right now is Brian Doyle's The Thorny Grace of It and Other Essays for Imperfect Catholics.  Doyle is a writer and magazine editor from Oregon whose work I've read in various literary journals.  This book of short essays about life and faith is very funny and touching; a friend lent it to me and I'm already considering purchasing it because I want to savour Doyle's reflections again and again.

In this excerpt from the essay "nobody cannot be saints," Doyle quotes from letters he received from an admiring eleven-year-old Korean girl who has discovered his books:

Dear mister, she wrote, your book gave me such wise lessons.  I learned new things about saints and, also, how to love.  I learned to bend our hours into acts of love, to love not only sweet friends and family but enemies.  Well, honestly, I used to love only my dearest people, such as friends and family.  But, how about my enemies?  I used to be hostile to them.  I just acted mean to them, not even thinking about how they would feel.  But now I truly recognize that saints are here and saints are us.  We, the people, used to be stupid, looking for saints there when they are living right here.  But saints are us.  Nobody cannot be saints.  I now realize that.  Thank you for writing fabulous.  Your book is the best one I have read so far.

2 comments:

  1. That little girl has a lot of wisdom, Jeannie. She's the one who is "writing fabulous".

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    Replies
    1. I agree! And Doyle's book is one of the best books I HAVE ever read -- just discovered it and am loving how it makes me think about my own faith.

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