An excerpt from “Taking a Long Road Home”
Here is a brief passage from my 2011 memoir “Taking a Long Road Home.” Let it be an introduction to my lengthy writing career — two novels, five books on aging and elderhood, assorted volumes on religion, ethics, and contemporary society, a memoir, and three collections of poetry. My fourth book of poems, “Interbeing,” will be published by Wipf & Stock Publishers. You can find out more about each of my books here on the website.
As I settle into my tenth decade now at age 91, I admit I’m still seeking the divine in man and nature and finding it much closer than I used to. Here’s a photo of myself with one of my Athens poet-compatriots, Bob Ambrose. We join a group of others weekly to discuss our poetry, and it’s always wise to seek the counsel of others over a cup of coffee and a brownie at a local coffeehouse. I hope you enjoy exploring my writing as I continue my life’s journey. Best, Gene
Excerpt
“It’s odd that after thousands of years of great spiritual example and literature we have to remind ourselves that spirituality is to be found in everyday life.” —Thomas Moore
Not long ago, the Provost of Emory University, where I taught for four decades, asked me what I planned to do after retirement. I told him I had only one open slot on my resume, to become a saint. This was something of a conversation stopper. After moments of silence and a puzzled look, he said: “You mean a canonized saint as in the Catholic Church?” I said no, that I had a different view of sanctity than the canonizing process. I was referring to a less heroic notion of holiness. I meant something simpler: to move beyond or beneath religious institutions and their teachings.
I wanted to reconnect with a natural or primordial way of living spirit in the ups and downs of everyday life. My path has been a lifelong search for home, a true way for body/spirit here and now. Some may see this as just secular living. I’ve come to view daily existence as the main arena of spiritual life. Other aspects of traditional religion can be helpful but are secondary. To get to this gut-level, down-home spirit in the quotidian, I’ve had to let go of heady theories and false estimates of myself to learn from hard times. Without becoming a Pollyanna, I seek to discover divinity in persons and nature. How might we re-imagine life, secular and spiritual, intimately linked to one another?
