In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World

A Christian pathway into mindfulness, using the gospels, poetry, and storytelling

There's an old Irish proverb: "It is in the shelter of each other that the people live." This book applies ideas of shelter and welcome to journeys of life, using poetry, story, biblical reflection, and prose to open up gentle ways of living well in a troubled world. The fourth gospel tells of Jesus arriving in the room where the disciples are gathered, full of fear, on Easter Sunday. He does not chide or admonish; instead he says "Peace be with you," which, in the Aramaic of his day, was simply a greeting. "Hello," he said, welcoming people locked in a room of fear to a place of deep encounter; encounter with themselves, with their fear, with each other, and with the incarnate one in their midst. Interweaving everyday stories with analysis, gospel reflections with mindfulness, and Celtic spirituality with poetry, this book explores the practice of welcoming as a spiritual discipline. In particular, it features careful stories of welcoming parts of life that are often unwelcome.