title: Small Graces and Simple Truths
author/editor: Kent Nerburn
reviewed by: Frances

The time I allowed to run my errands that day was more than necessary, so I was early for my meeting. I was so early, not even the coffee-maker was there. I decided it was a good time to browse the shelves of the church's small library. A volunteer monthly chose special books to spotlight in the newsletter. A nice touch. She also dedicated a shelf to Recommended by the church staff.

I slowly read random titles the one wall dedicated to books. Shelves featured a wide range from "churchy" to "Christian Romance." I glanced at my watch. It was nearly time to go to my meeting. Before leaving, I paused at the Recommended shelf a moment. There I saw a small volume entitled, SMALL GRACES. I slid it off the shelf. The author listed was Kent Nerburn. "Never heard of him," I thought. Still, I opened to the Table of Contents. There were several chapters, each two or three pages. I opened the book at random and read, … If I am not careful-- if I rise from my bed full of small concerns-the mystical flow of the imagination at rest will be broken…

I turned back to the beginning of that chapter, I have risen early today. Far in the distance, a faint glow paints the horizon. Dawn is coming, gently and full of prayer…

I closed the book. This was a view of prayer I enjoyed - the nontraditional one. I pulled an age-old sign-out card from the book's back and recorded my name. Then I placed the card in the simple box for such and tucked the book under my arm before I shut off the lights and left the room.

That volume was a delight. It later led me to request, SIMPLE TRUTHS, the author's first book from the public library. That book was less magical and more philosophical.

I liked it, too, but in a different way. It think my favorite chapters were, On Loneliness and Solitude and On Love.

In the first a distinction between the two named conditions was made,

Solitude is a condition of peace… becoming one with the space around you. It is a condition of union.

Loneliness is small, solitude is large. Loneliness closes in around you; solitude expands toward the infinite. Loneliness has its roots in words, an internal conversation that nobody answers, solitude has its roots in the great silence of eternity.

In On Love, he says,

…Remember this and keep it in your heart. You don't choose love. Love chooses you. All you can really do is accept it for all its mystery when it comes into your life.

Frances says "These are two charming and thoughtful books. Both have about a hundred pages. Add them to your reading list. You won't be sorry."

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