The Book
God Never Hurries is told through a series of reflections drawn from Marcia’s daily writings during the time she struggled with her aging parents’ care needs. Journey with her, and her then walking partner Bear, through the seasons where she was challenged to change and came to understand: It’s a lot easier to stay miserable than to make changes in your life.Mystery enlightens her.
Down in the valley it looked as if my glasses were smudged. But when I took them off I realized it was a soft mist beginning to enshroud me. The farther down we walked, the heavier and more comforting the veil became. Then turning a bend in the deepest part of the valley, the sun came alive as it beamed through the trees. I caught my breath and heard my voice say softly, “Oh my God.” (She is so beautiful in person.) And I was infused with courage. It was as if the sweet, seductive voice of God whispered, “Be not afraid.”Everything became a both/and thing after she reflected on silence.
Silence is a both/and thing. It is golden when I curb my ego and silently accept another’s shortcomings in the name of kindness. It is a gift when it leads me to reflect on the messages in my life. But silence also feeds abuse, and as Anne LaMont writes in Bird by Bird, “…we are only as sick as our secrets.”Simple experiences shed light on truth.
Light snow was falling on an early January morning when I drove my car to a neighborhood service station and left it there for an oil change. The snow stopped as I started to walk home. Several hours later when I went back to pick up my car, I was surprised to see my footprints still alone in the fresh snow. No one else had walked my path.Marcia’s search for truth will take you on numinous bike rides where her spirit soars, frogs talk, and her anger levels hills. Retreat with her into the desert where chaos and myth speak to her. Voyage into wilderness where her canoe paddle leaves imposed guilt. Fly across an ocean to where she hears the God within us singing. And spend a weekend in downtown Detroit where she gets a grip on complicity. Discover what she learns from encountering her heart’s desire, and what led her to leave the church of her birth at age 60 where she first learned to talk to God.
Trauma becomes transformation, but not before Marcia learns to dance in chains and trust in the slow work of God.