A gentle, clear guide to finding hope and
help in troubled days.
“When you begin to understand what
brokenness means, you will be armed with information that
empowers you to take the steps that can turn your leaden
feelings into opportunities for health and happiness. When you
can accept (and perhaps even celebrate) your brokenness, you
can cease your endless search for ‘healing’ and get
on with your life, scars and all.”
—from
Chapter 1
We each have broken areas of our lives.
Whether from things that happen to us or as consequences of our
own choices, there are times and situations where our very
souls feel fractured.
With wisdom and profound personal
experience, Terry Taylor guides you through a compassionate yet
highly practical process of facing, accepting, and finally
integrating your brokenness into your life—a process that
can ultimately bring mending. He offers a clear-eyed,
kindhearted method based on teachings and practices from many
religious traditions, including:
• Ancient Christian practice of
Lectio Divina to face our brokenness
• Tibetan practice of tonglen to
generate compassion for ourselves
• Jewish tradition of Sabbath-keeping
to give us the space we need to mend
• Muslim practice of
hajj—pilgrimage—to bring the journey full circle
No matter your faith tradition, you will
find lovingkindness and wise counsel in this useful,
step-by-step guide to transforming these moments of supreme
vulnerability into opportunities for reflection and spiritual
growth.
“Every page is imbued with
compassion for the brokenness that truly is ‘a felt state
of being’ for us all. A balm for [the] soul …
because it will help you hold brokenness, your own and others,
with love.”
—David
Roche, author, The Church of 80% Sincerity
“Terry Taylor’s … [is] a
voice you can trust with your own pain. He invites us to not
only accept ourselves but to love our imperfections as part of
what makes us whole and even beautiful. [With] accessible,
helpful tools, this book will light your way.”
—Patrice
Vecchione, author, Writing and the Spiritual Life:
Finding Your
Voice by Looking Within
“Reading this compassionate and
hope-filled book felt like having a long talk with a trusted
friend. Anything seems possible. I plan to buy copies to share
with all my friends!”
—Rev.
Nanette Sawyer, author, Hospitality—The Sacred Art: Discovering the
Hidden Spiritual Power of Invitation and Welcome
“Profound and pragmatic, wise,
perceptive, and so very practical ... this book really will
change your life. It overflows with grace and a loving
realism…. I have placed this book within arm’s
reach.”
—Rabbi
Irwin Kula, president, the National
Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; coauthor, The Book of Jewish Sacred Practices: CLAL’s
Guide to
Everyday and Holiday Rituals and Blessings
“Gentle, honest, and compassionate
… breaks new ground in the field of healing by promising
nothing—but delivers everything you need to mend your
brokenness. Read this book if you are broken. Read it even if
you’re not. You’ll be able to help someone near you
who is and doesn’t know where to turn.”
—Phil
Cousineau, author, The Art of Pilgrimage and Stoking the Creative
Fires
“With simplicity and authenticity
… evokes a true rendering of painful dimensions of
everyone’s condition…. Artfully gathers spiritual
practices that support our attempts to love ourselves
mercifully, while we compassionately choose to mend and love
our severely broken world.”
—Jonathan
Montaldo, The Thomas Merton
Institute for Contemplative Living
