In his book, the “religious educator in a broad sense,” as Biola University calls him, reflected on eight decades of life and work, and came to see age as a precious gift. Surprised by the fact that he likes being old, he writes, “Welcome to the brink of everything. It takes a lifetime to get here, but the stunning view of past, present, and future…makes it worth the trip.”
As the result of a wide-ranging phone interview with Palmer, Religious News Services singled out from the book these six “spiritual gifts of aging” for emphasis: recognize that you are “on the brink,” and therefore able to “connect the dots”; look back, and find the patterns in your life; reframe your purpose—find what your vocation has been; listen to, and learn from young people; face up to mortality; and speak out, with wisdom (“Old is just another word for nothing to lose.”).
On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity & Getting Old
By Parker Palmer
Berrett-Koehler Publications, 2018
The previous Featured Book, Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, by Barbara Brown Taylor, is now available in the Library.
