I don't know where to start," one [writing student] will wail. Start with your childhood, I tell them. Plug your nose and jump in, and write down all your memories as truthfully as you can. Flannery O' Connor said that anyone who has survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life. Maybe your childhood was grim and horrible, but grim and horrible is Okay if it is well done. Don't worry about doing it well yet, though. Just get it down.

Quiet, deep breath after any prayer is another form of Amen.

When I was young, I used to be so jealous of other girls that it crippled me.

When I was a kid, our family used to watch 'Bonanza.' I really liked having a Sunday night TV ritual.

How do you begin? The answer is simple: you decide to.

Rest and laughter are the most spiritual and subversive acts of all. Laugh, rest, slow down.

Grace is having a commitment to- or at least an acceptance of- being ineffective and foolish. That our bottled charm is the main roadblock to drinking that clear cool glass of love.