"And then as the little plane climbed higher and Oliver saw spread out below them fields of bright and tender green in this morning sn, farther out the coastline, the ocean shiny and almost flat, tiny white wakes behind a few lobster boats-then Oliver felt something she had not expected to feel again: a sudden surging greediness for life. She leaned forward, peering out the window:sweet,pale clouds, the sky as blue as your hat, the new green of the fields, the broad expanse of water-seen from up here it all appeared wondrous, amazing. She remembered what hope was, and this was it." Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout

This morning I finished this lovely book, Olive Kitteridge, written by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Elizabeth Strout.The book is the sweet, yet painful story of Olive and all the marginal and deeply connected relationships in her life across more than seven decades. Each chapter has Olive appearing in some way in the lives who make up a tiny community in Maine. As a teacher in the school system she knew people in various stages of their lives and formed some kind and not so kind opinions of them. Olive is a strong personality who moves through the world like a bull in a china shop yet is capable of genuine tenderness. I commend this book to you.

What struck me most about this book was the beautiful writing, words which moved and twisted, phrases that formed and were shaped with such intention that they became breathtaking. At times I found myself reading the sentences aloud because they were so wonderful they needed to be given voice. While this book was about Olive, I thought that it could have also been about any one of us. It told the story of out deep human tragedies and the amazing moments of transformation and hope that make up nearly every life. The author was able to show how each of us lives a life so full, coming into contact with so many people we touch and are mostly clueless to our impact. At the end, of the book I had the sense that, given the talents of a good writer, each of us could be immortalized in book form just like Olive.

Oliver speaks of a greediness for life. It seems to me these summer days urge us to this kind of drinking in all we can of the beauty of burgeoning gardens that creates equally burgeoning hearts full of praise for Creation and Creator. I find myself asking the question:"Who am I to get to behold all this?" Are you having the same experience? If not, I invite you to open your eyes to the wonder.

At the same time, my heart is breaking for the ways in which our world is being diminished by the continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. To see the faces of the brown pelican, the oil globs on the once white, pristine beaches, creates a deep ache. On a level closer to home, friends are living a day-to-day fight for the life of their wife, mother, daughter. Another deep ache.

This life is full of it all. Soul soaring majesty and deep, despairing ache. The prayer is for each day to have some balance of the two. May our greediness for life keep us attuned to the fragility and beauty of each day that connects our life with so many others and with this Earth. Though our life stories may not be put into print, we live them nonetheless, held by the Spirit who breathes through us reminding us of what hope is.May we have ears and heart to hear its ever beating rhythm.