On Living by Kerry Egan

On Living by Kerry Egan

A poetic and philosophical and brave and uplifting meditation on how important it is to make peace and meaning of our lives while we still have them. -Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat Pray Love

Illuminating, unflinching and ultimately inspiring... A book to treasure. -People Magazine

A hospice chaplain passes on wisdom on giving meaning to life, from those taking leave of it.

As a hospice chaplain, Kerry Egan didn't offer sermons or prayers, unless they were requested; in fact, she found, the dying rarely want to talk about God, at least not overtly. Instead, she discovered she'd been granted a powerful chance to witness firsthand what she calls the spiritual work of dying--the work of finding or making meaning of one's life, the experiences it's contained and the people who have touched it, the betrayals, wounds, unfinished business, and unrealized dreams. Instead of talking, she mainly listened: to stories of hope and regret, shame and pride, mystery and revelation and secrets held too long. Most of all, though, she listened as her patients talked about love--love for their children and partners and friends; love they didn't know how to offer; love they gave unconditionally; love they, sometimes belatedly, learned to grant themselves.

This isn't a book about dying--it's a book about living. And Egan isn't just passively bearing witness to these stories. An emergency procedure during the birth of her first child left her physically whole but emotionally and spiritually adrift. Her work as a hospice chaplain healed her, from a brokenness she came to see we all share. Each of her patients taught her something about what matters in the end--how to find courage in the face of fear or the strength to make amends; how to be profoundly compassionate and fiercely empathetic; how to see the world in grays instead of black and white. In this hopeful, moving, and beautiful book, she passes along all their precious and necessary gifts.

Kerry Egan is a hospice chaplain and a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. She is the author of a memoir, Fumbling A Journey of Love, Adventure and Renewal on the Camino de Santiago and has published essays in many national print and online publications, including Parents, American Baby, Reader's Digest, and CNN.com. She and her family live in Columbia, South Carolina.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781594634819
ISBN 10	1594634815
Title	On Living
Author	Kerry Egan
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Riverhead Books
Year published	2016-10-25
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.