Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair

If you like an approach to spirituality that is big-hearted, nonjudgmental, fun, joyous, smart, active, non-priggish and inclusive, welcome to Anne Lamott's books. You may wish she were your Sunday School teacher. I once thought that it's hard to get smart, spiritual and funny in a combination. Lamott serves it up. This slim handbook of 98 pages on meaning, hope and repair is a follow-up to Lamott's previous book HELP, THANKS, WOW: The Three Essential Prayers. This book opens with the concept that "life holds beauty, magic and anguish". It tells you what you can do during the anguish. When our life is on track - having love, family, work - it's easier to cope with the anguish Lamott tells us. But what do we do when our lives are off track, and we stumble upon evil, sadness, illness or death? What do you do on the really bad days during an extended rough time? Lamott sketches out some simple and deep concepts that have worked for her and those she has known. One concept inspired the title of this book and that's to keep stitching, take those next small steps which keep you going. They may be daily rituals like a walk around the neighborhood or a meal with a friend who listens well. Some of Lamott's writing in this book which jumped off the pages for me - you will enjoy finding your own inspiration: * "Oh, honey, buckle up, it gets worse." * "We live stitch by stitch, when we're lucky." * "My brothers and I were not encouraged to search for God, the obvious source of solace, but we three kids were led to the world of books, which to us was just as good. We found in books the divine plop, the joy of settling down deeply into something, worlds and realities greater than our own troubled minds. All of life, for me, begins with books and art." * "Daily rituals, especially walks, even forced marches around the neighborhood, and schedules, whether work or meals with non-awful people, can be the knots you hold on to when you've run out of hope." * "They taught me that maturity was the ability to live with unresolved problems." One joy of books is the ability to learn from folks who are on the same wave length and journey. You can assimilate the lessons from their experiences, and the inspiration that comes to their thought, as they puzzle over life's questions. If you appreciate books and people that make spirituality warm and welcoming, or are going through a really tough time and want some hope, meaning and repair, this handbook offers it. It's short - five small chapters, but comforting.

I urge you to read this wonderful book, filled with Anne Lamott's wisdom and advice on "collecting the ripped shreds of our emotional and spiritual fabric" and how to "sew them back together, one stitch at a time." While there are indeed descriptions of sewing and quilting woven throughout the book, there is also so much more. She even shares her perspective on the horror of the Newtown shootings. Lamott doesn't gloss over hard truths. She acknowledges that life can sometimes be so painful that it seems unbearable. It can be incredibly difficult to search for even a tiny shred of meaning in the midst of emotional and physical chaos. I admire such honesty, the kind that pulls no punches but also sheds light on ways to survive even the hardest times, finding ways back to joy. I also savored the details about how she - and some of those she knew- struggled to hold the "fabric" of their lives together amid great challenges. Sometimes comfort comes from special possessions. Lamott clings to the shirt of a beloved friend who died, even as it becomes worn and threadbare, afraid that losing the shirt will threaten her memories of their friendship. A friend helps her find an unorthodox way to salvage cherished curtains torn by her dog, leading to new insights about the beauty of imperfection, both in the patched curtains and in life. I was deeply moved by her description of a couple, married for forty years, being torn apart "like a strip of old cloth" in the wake of the husband's faltering mind. Lamott doesn't shy away from the pain of such moments but also shares moments of hope, comfort, and humor. Her previous book focused primarily on prayer, faith, and gratitude. This time around she has written one which is "intended to be useful on the bad days." For me, it is that and more, with a depth and power that has me convinced I'll be revisiting this one for years to come.

I recently had my hip replaced and took this book with me to the hospital. I thought that by the title alone, it would be just the spiritual medicine I would need to get me back on track. Little did I know however, that I had no physical stitches in my incision. The surgeon glued me back together. Modern medicine is quite amazing. What I learned from this book is that even though I didn't get stitched back together, many stitches have been made in the quilt that is me from this experience. We are made up of stitches, each one carefully sewn for every step we take in life. There are many passages here that I wanted to highlight and remember forever. The one however, that stuck with me is, "The American way is to not need help, but to help." Right now I need help to do a lot of things and I hate asking for it. I'm using a walker just to get around. Managing it and me is a full time effort. I can't even get a drink from the refrigerator with out asking for it. It is a humbling experience and a lesson I needed to learn. And a stitch my quilt needed in order to grow. I love Anne Lamott. She's funny and has a unique way of writing about the journey of life. I have to admit I liked Help, Thanks, Wow a bit better than Stitches. This book was exactly what I needed during my road to recovery. It's amazing to me how books have a way of working their way to the top of the reading pile at just the right time.

I read "Stitches" right after my mother passed away. It gave me much comfort as well as insight into how I might go on without my best friend and "partner in crime." A bit of a career crisis happened around the same time and the book also helped me sort through certain feelings and informed my decision making. Anne is a wonderful writer who tells it like it is with love, humor, and grace - all stitched together in a beautiful tapestry of words.

I like Anne Lamott. She has a very easy, flowing style to her writing. She is self-deprecating and witty. She seems like a thoroughly decent person, though a bit bedraggled and off-kilter perhaps. This is not my first book by her, and it is my least favorite. I did not have a sense of an arc to this book. The stories were cute, sad, and heart-warming (Note to self: Never befriend Anne Lamott, as something terrible will surely happen!), but I did not really detect a theme or a deeper meaning other than "we all suffer, and it hurts a lot, and we are all in this together." I do not disagree with her analysis, and there were points in the book that I had the feeling: "Anne has been inside my mind!" But, for the most part, the book did not truly speak to me. I would recommend this book to true aficionados of Anne Lamott. Others should probably pass on this particular book.

I was inspired, challenged and felt somehow affirmed. Ms. Lamott is real, authentic, gritty and fills ones senses with inspiration and hope. She is humorous as she shares everyday life and challenges but then she pauses and I sense her spirit shifting and then she shares deeply from her heart with mercy, understanding and compassion. Her heart unfolds with a deep sense of "I have lived there, I have experienced this, I share in your pain and suffering, we experience this together." There is profound hope in her stories and it is based on not only her experiences alone but on her faith. A faith that is real, active, full of deep spirit and blended with vulnerable Anne LaMott does not mince words. She speaks of our suffering and pain as individuals and humanity. She is specific and her stories are compelling. I have needed to stop, breathe, take in and reflect. She writes in such a way that an every person can relate and I have found myself saying, "finally there is no veneer on life's experiences, I can relate to this and it is filled with hope." I am that every day person who suffers often without the veneer, who must often die to things I once held dear and sacred. I also am that person who has needed to wait at the tomb, as she speaks of in Chapter one. It is often long, unknowing and fearful. In time I have found genuine hope, been called out of the tomb and into a new portion of my life that has been filled with new experiences and an array of joyful surprises. I highly recommend "Stitches" and experience its transforming graces.

This is a great book. I wish it hadn't ended as quickly as it did, tho it needed to be a quick read. Heavy subjects, in a way, but so good. Love her writing.

Anne Lamott's musings are always honest and winsome and unexpected. "What saved me was that I found gentle, loyal and hilarious companions, which is at the heart of meaning: maybe we don't find a lot of answers to life's tougher questions, but if we find a few true friends, that's even better. They help you see who you truly are, which is not always the loveliest possible version of yourself, but then comes the greatest miracle of all--they still love you."

This is my second Anne LaMott book. Looks like Iam going to read all her books. Iam impressed with her blend of wit & insightful writing.

As usual - her book is absolutely grounded, absolutely spot on and talks directly to you. Thanks Anne - after reading your other books, I still put a wee piece of paper with a request for help from God in a little box and wait to see what happens. It can take a while, but you get the answer eventually.

What I love about Anne Lamott's writing is that she understands that there are no easy answers to many of life's difficulties. Bumper sticker wisdom doesn't always work when you're facing the worst that could happen. Calling it a challenge or a growth experience doesn't always help either. A death or divorce you can probably heal from, with time, but living with a handicapped child or a spouse with dementia last for years, maybe a lifetime. Finding meaning and hope, maybe even making stitch-by-stitch repairs is your only hope for (reasonable) sanity. Anne Lamott shares her ideas about that with her readers. This isn't a perfect book but it's an honest book. I enjoy her concept of God and of God listening to her prayers - 'I'm sure God says either "Oh, I so love Annie's selfless and evolved thoughts" or else "Jeez. what a head case". It makes me smile even when the tears are standing in my eyes from the emotion in her stories. If i have a criticism it is the brevity of the book. Not often do I think that more of an author's thoughts would have been better but I think we need this kind of wisdom to counter the facile thinking we see too often in the guise of spirituality.

Anne is prophetic but relatable and makes all thing harsh much softer. I’ve yet to read anything by her that has disappointed me.

Lovely, nurturing, all I need at this moment of my life. I read it quickly and then re-read it to savor all the messages it encompasses.