Resolution

I started this year thinking that I would not have a New Year's resolution.  I posted the welcoming prayer, thinking that maybe I would have a prayer instead of a resolution this year.  Although that is still my prayer for the year, I decided that I should have a resolution too:

This year, I resolve to take up more space.

I don't plan to physically get bigger, but I am going to try to speak up more.  I know this won't be easy, but I think it's important, and I hope with some practice, it won't be quite so hard.

In the spirit of this resolution, I thought I'd post about the books I was in last year.  Two books came out last year that included pieces I wrote, and I haven't mentioned them at all on my blog yet.

The first is Writing Cheerfully on the Web, edited by Elizabeth A. Oppenheimer.  This book includes blog posts by 32 Quakers from the various branches of the Religious Society of Friends.  One of the things I love about reading Quaker blogs is how each post is like snapshots―a look into where the writer is and how she is living up to her measure Light in that moment.  This book is like a snapshot of the conversations Friends were having over a few years.  I enjoyed seeing how the writers were interacting with each other through their blogs.  It was also fun for me to see so many familiar names.  I met some of these Friends as a direct result of having this blog, and it is thrilling to see all of these bloggers together in print.  I think this book is a fun read and raises good questions, regardless of whether you follow the Quaker blogosphere.

The second book that includes a piece I wrote is Enlivened by the Mystery, edited by Kathy Hyzy.  In this book, Friends responded to the question, "How have you experienced God or the Divine?"  The responses include stories, poems, and photos, as well as essays and artwork.  Each section begins with a few queries, and reading through the book is like sitting in meeting for worship.  Some of the pieces made me laugh and others made me want to cry.  I am grateful that Friends shared so deeply and amazed at all of the ways that we see God at work in our lives.

I recommend both of these books to you.  I am not trying to sell you anything (and I don't get any money when either of these books are sold), but I think these books represent some of the best writing by Friends published in the last year and I feel blessed and honored to be included in them.