Reason for finally picking up: New Year’s book resolution to recommit myself to challenges, and to ignore the voice that says that my mind isn’t good enough to read certain books right now. For those not in the know, the role of oblate is essentially honorary monasticism for those who are married or otherwise outside the strict requirements of the cloister, yet desire to still participate and follow some of the rules. For the rest of us, isn’t it just like reading a personal classic, re-visiting a childhood tale that was magic for you?

I now know far too much about her father's jazz band, the death of her childhood dog, her difficulties with her sister, her bad mescalin trip, her meeting with a 'rockette' (whatever that is) and above all, her poetry writing. Norris also discusses some of the more difficult aspects of Catholicism, including a fairly long chapter on the habits (i.Norris never really reveals a lot of details about her daily life (or secular life), but she shares her thoughts on God, on life in the cloister, on the beauty and transcendence of scripture, and on our own unique approaches to a relationship with God and one another.

Any reader seeking a meaningful life – not necessarily a religious one – will be inspired by author Kathleen Norris’s experiences among monks who, while so little understood in our society, are admirable bearers of tradition, incorporating in their lives the values of stability, silence, and humility that we so desperately need, yet relentlessly avoid. This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. In this stirring and lyrical work, the monastery becomes immediate, accessible, and relevant to us, no matter what our faith may be.

It reminded me of that feeling I get reading Possession, Anna Karenina, Austen, Elizabeth von Armin. No missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins. To be fair, there are some interesting bits in here about various saints, and Norris's reflections on the Psalms contain some insights. No list of rules in the book can make a religion, which is a whole way of life that relies on the authority the reader is willing to grant them- that’s faith. Part record of her time among the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life, The Cloister Walk demonstrates, from the rare perspective of someone who is both an insider and outsider, how immersion in the cloistered world -- its liturgy, its ritual, its sense of community -- can impart meaning to everyday events and deepen our secular lives.

Part record of her time amoung the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life. The quality of negative capability, Norris says, well-honed by her work as a poet, has also proved invaluable for her growth in religious faith. I was surprised by how much I liked this one too- I’ve had it on my shelf for years, and picked it up very uncertainly, but so glad I did. Part record of her time among the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life, The Cloister Walk demonstrates, from the rare perspCollected from a diverse range of sources, including Parabola and The New Yorker, these essays offer some insight and grace, but the organizing principle of community is a bit diffuse. The Boston Globe From the iconic author of Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith , a spiritual journey that brings joy to the meanings of love, grace and faith.

You want to share this great discovery, giving her work as a gift3/4or you simply shove a copy in the face of a friend, saying 'Read this. According to Norris, monasticism is all about poetry because, you know, she is a poet which is apparently on a par with being a monk because "monks and poets are the best degenerates in America. There’s some wonderful parts where she acknowledges why some people see the word “Christian” as fake, hypocritical and harsh after the likes of Pat Robertson and Newt Gingrich in the ’90s using it for some pretty evil purposes (and slams their style of Christianity very effectively), but also some very ’90s moral panic about young girls dressing too provocatively and getting belly-button piercings too young right after it. It made me yearn to be able to do as she does and spend long periods of time within the monastery, sharing in the daily round of work and prayer.A RING OF TRUTH: Like Kathleen Norris, I am a Protestant who lives in a small town and have been heavily influenced by being a guest in a Benedictine Monastery many times.