Anne Lamott's “Overture: Lily Pads” Essay

' Mary's heart was already with god and conventional values were not going to keep her a way from the life he had chosen for her.' (Mary MacKillop A tribute, 1995)

Anne matures throughout the course of her diary entries, moving from detailed accounts of basic activities to deeper, more profound thoughts about humanity and her own personal nature. “I know what I want, I have a goal, an opinion, I have a religion and love. Let me be myself and then I am satisfied. I know that I’m a woman, a woman with inward strength and plenty of courage.” This shows that Anne matures through the course of her diary, she considers herself as a woman rather than a young girl and sets goals for herself that she wants to achieve. Anne becomes more optimistic even after she feels misunderstood by everyone and feels completely alone.

One night at eight o’clock, Charles Colson visited a friend named Tom Phillipse. Before his acceptance of Christ, Tom lived much as Colson did; he was a ruthless businessman who ventured any measure upon which to win his way. Amidst witnessing Tom’s change briefly himself, Colson decided to make this additional visit. During this visit, Tom explained further to Colson his transformation and offered him a book called “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis.

As a child, I grew up going to Catholic School, from Kindergarten, until eighth grade. My mother thought private school was best for my brother and I, as there’s a misconception that since you’re paying a tuition, the education is better. My mother was also Catholic at the time, so she was more comfortable with us growing up being taught religion, which should inevitably cause us to be Christians and believe in God. Years went by of me being educated on religion, and by the age of twelve, I felt guilty that I couldn’t process or accept the idea of there being a God. I came to this reality due to the fact that I didn’t feel the connection to God that our teachers taught us we should have; I didn’t feel loved by an alternate being, I felt alone, and I didn’t grasp how such a thing could be possible.

She aspires to be a perfect copy of her father, someone she has looked up to since she was little. It’s easy to see his influence on her through her narration and thoughts. Everything he says, she soaks in, like a sponge willing to accept an unlimited amount of water. When she says of Brother Fowles that “I heard them saying he was a New York Irish, which tells you a lot, as they are notorious for being papist Catholics” (38), her father’s effect on not only her personality but views towards people is evident. Because of his impact on her youth, she looks up to him with fierce intensity, even desiring “his wholehearted approval” (42). Underneath this adoration for her father, however, lies a distinct fear of disapproval, having never “contradicted [her] father on any subject, ever” (66). Here, it is apparent his authoritative influence on her, resulting in a deep-seated anxiety that Leah feels. Furthermore, with Leah’s initial love of her father, it is easier to see the contrast of what she feels towards her father as the book progresses, something that changes directly as a result of her time in the Congo. Her views towards religion are also an aspect that can demonstrate how she has been inclined to feel specific ways. Leah’s most important value in her religion is the sense of justice, something she believes that Christianity is about with every particle on her body. She considers “God’s scale to be vast

In the story “Marigolds,” the author, Eugenia Collier, uses voice elements to support the poignant tone of the story. In the story, Collier includes a metaphor that evokes a feeling of sadness when her father cried. Lizabeth heard “[her] father, who was the rock on which the family had been built, was sobbing like the tiniest child,” (Collier 404). This reveals that Lizabeth’s father is the strong foundation that built the family and gave it confidence, love, encouragement, and a role model. Although was the foundation of the family, his wife worked every day making her the breadwinner. The metaphor eventually destroys Lizabeth confidence because her dad is crying and that gives her insecurities that something is going wrong. This relates to the poignant tone because the metaphor evokes the feeling of sadness.

Have you ever thought about who you really are? Some people go through life only gliding the surface of their identity. Very few truly dig in deep into their own thoughts, feelings, desires, and dreams. However, that is not the case for Anne Lamott (2006), who shares with everyone, her deep and dark secrets in her book Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. This paper will provide a summary of chapters five through seven, combined with a personal reflection, and conclude with a few desired questions that ideally could be answered Ms. Lamott.

In the essay, “Shitty First Drafts,” Anne Lamott discusses the topic of crappy drafts. She states that “every good writer begins with terrible first efforts.” First, Lamott explains to the reader how every writer writes “shitty first drafts,” and that's how they begin writing in the first place. They first draft which is terrible, than the second one, and so on until it’s finally perfect. People who are wonderful writers don't automatically write a good first draft. They always struggle and jot their own ideas down before they begin their actual writing. Furthermore, Lamott states that in order for her to even start writing anything, she needs to start of by writing the ugliest drafts ever. The first draft a writer writes it's basically like

For over years’ people showed how much they appreciated her. The people let her know how much reading and studying the book have given them a new spiritual sense of the Bible and of their unchangeable relationship to God (Christian

We also witness the grandmother’s search for a “good man” and the path to grace and salvation. O’Connor

The following is a transcript of an interview with my friend concerning her personal beliefs and faith in her religion:

We have now come to the fourth and final book of Mere Christianity. In this book, the author takes us to the place in our Christian growth where we begin to rely more heavily on the power of God and less on ourselves to become the being that God originally intended for us to be — a son of God. He begins with an explanation of the difference between “making” and “begetting”.

Julian, also known as Mother Juliana of Norwich was one of the first female writers of the extended English text. Julian’s Revelations of Devine Love shows many spiritual insights that are considered outstanding during the medieval times. Through mysteries of faith, sin and traditional theology, Revelations of Devine Love have been praised for a deep uncommon intellect and profound faith.

The Holy Spirit works in fellowship to a common purpose of leading the seeker into joy through conviction (1 Thess. 1:5-6) “…because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,” Those who were once spiritually blind (Matt 13:15), “For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” and (Rom 11:8), ”…as it is written, ‘God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would

Sir Thomas Mallory’s Le Morte d'Arthur is a classic piece of literate that reveals the depths of mankind in numerous ways. Man is a complicated creature, greatly influenced by a variety of circumstances and often the choices made in those times mold man into who he or she will become. The lens for which one views beauty and goodness can be greatly affected by these experiences. As I have spent time reflecting on Mallory’s writing, it is apparent that he used several key themes to explain his views of man; those being identity, fate, love, family, and redemption. These themes parallel much of scripture and when paid attention to, can help one understand the truths of Scripture on their Christian journey.