Back in May I did a post about the author Elizabeth Passarella’s first book, Good Apple. Elizabeth is from Memphis but lives in New York City with her husband and three children. I enjoyed her first essay collection so much I had to read her second.
It Was An Ugly Couch Anyway and other thoughts on moving forward has her same terrific sense of humor blended with deep thoughts on serious subjects. Here’s a sample, from her essay, “Lost in Times Square,” which is about the time one of her children got lost while shopping with his mother. I love how she used that episode to explore the spiritual side of being lost:
The whole crux of the Christian faith is that we cannot save ourselves. This is meant to be good news, although for people like me, who pride themselves on being supremely capable, it feels irritating at times. Even when I have a win—I succeed at being gentle with my child! I forgive someone who hurt me, despite the fact that I really didn’t want to! I am humble for a few minutes in my day!—I know that I can’t fix the brokenness inside me or overcome my own sin. For people who don’t share my faith, this sound totally depressing, I know. And entire self-help sections of bookstores tell you otherwise. I know this, too. For some reason it is easier to believe that we can muscle our way to better, more fulfilled selves, rather than to accept that we are hopelessly flawed and all of those efforts are going to be temporary. It doesn’t mean we are idiots. Or weaklings. We know the phone number. We stay on the block when we are lost. We use the tools God gave us: brains and senses of humor. But ultimately, we cannot always find our way back when we are lost. He has to come get us.
This is an easy read for people with busy lives. You’re welcome!