In this collection of 40 essays, Meg Barnhouse writes about everyday events like dropping stuff off at the thrift shop or watching TV with the kids and she transforms them with offbeat humor and infectious hopefulness. Barnhouse puts her faith in the Karma Fairy, "one of God's teachers" who is "here to give us deep, full hearts."
Prologue
??Where I Come from Is Like This
?Sandcastles
?The Lady Belches
?The Point
?My Bear Who Loved Me
??Joy in Ordinary Time
??Deep Mysteries Have No Words
??Night of Blood and Fire
??Kite Mother
??Excuse Me, Was That a Conversation?
??Quitter
??Night Prayers
??Tea Evangelist
?The Game Show from Hell
??Treetop
??Heart of Compassion
?The Terrible Weight of Good-bye
??Tonight You’re Mine
??Trucker Angel
??The Old Crone’s Cauldron
??The Little Witch’s Hat
??Unblinking Witness
??Baking with a Bad Attitude
??Home and Garden Overload
??I Learned Not to Hope
??Zen Bowling
??A Very Dead Bird
??Message from a Large Prophet
??An American Story
??Mike’s Mission
??Holy Cow!
??Love, Not Fear, Is Spoken Here
??Graffiti Education
??What Are They Promising Again?
??More Sex, Less Anguish
??Floozy
??Smashing Things
?Love Me for a Reason
??I Feel Lucky
??Thank You, I’m Going Downhill
Epilogue
??Thank you, Karma Fairy. You love me, you tough old hag. You want me to be wise and kind, compassionate and careful. And you teach me over and over again this lesson I hate and cannot hold in my mind, that I am not an exception to any of the rules.
The Karma Fairy is here to show us that we are not safe in our righteousness, our intelligence, our careful nutrition, our common sense, our hip and groovy walk in the Tao. She is here to give us deep, full hearts. She is here to show us that we have it in us to make as big a mess as the next person. If we are ever going to find a cure for self-righteousness, the root of all separation, of all cruelty, we need her touch.
The stories in this book are all true. They are about her touch, about waking up, about feeling the Spirit wink at me, about living as a liberal black-belt minister mom in the South. It's an exotic life. I know yours is exotic in its way, and here is another thing I know: You have met the Karma Fairy too.
“Meg Barnhouse’s essays are full of her deadpan humor, unique perspective, and outrageous theology. Some pieces make great devotional reading while others simply show us the foibles of what it is to be human in ways that delight and charm. People often say that Meg can put into words many thoughts and feelings they’ve had for years but never were able to put into words. Reading Meg gives me hope that we might yet come to our senses.”
—Pat Jobe, author, 365 Ways to Criticize the Preacher
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