A few weeks ago I was invited to read a book put out by the Women of Magdalene, a community of women in the Nashville, Tennesee area who are living together a kind of monastic life inspired by the Rule of Benedictine. But that's where the similarities end. Rather than pious women seeking to withdraw from the world into a life of prayer and reflection, the Women of Magdalene are the bruised daughters of the city who had become trapped into drugs, prostititution and the harsh culture of street life.
This is a tender book. It has a lot of heart in the text and also some poignant photographs scattered throughout the chapters.
Founded in 1997 by Beccas Stevens, an Episcopal priest, the Women of Magdalene offers a loving route of escape and healing from the degrading cycle of addiction and sexual exploitation. For two years, residents lean into the love of God and one also one another and it is in that spirit of community through which their lives are renewed.
The book, Find Your Way Home, is a first work put out by the Women of Magdalene. It has been shaped by the contributions of more than a 100 women. Despite this high number of writers, it is not a heavy nor an extensive read. It is an album of snapshots and images collected together into a collage of hope.
The book is divided into 24 small chapters. Each chapter is made up of short passages written by the Women of Magdalene. Much of it is reflective in nature, such as this paragraph:
The difference for me was having a home. I had just come out of jail, where I had to bunk with 50 other women. When I walked in, they handed me a key; and I could see a kitchen with pots and pans and plates. I almost dropped to the ground, I was so thankful to have that key. I didn't want to lose it. It was small, but it kept me going for a long time until the lessons started taking root in me.The book is written from the point of view from the Women of Magdalene with some introduction provided by Becca. She mostly stays out of
sight deferring the page to the sisters who have come from street life to community life by the love and grace of their Creator.
Find Your Way Home also gives voice to the hard past that each woman has overcome. This is done thoughtfully so as to give the reader context for the gratitude that prevails their special community. One story focused on the difference a bag of chips had made in her life:
Before I came to Magdalene, I used to walk around the neighborhood where one of the communities was located. I was scared to go near the house and so were the other women and drug dealers.
Then one day someone from Magdalene offered me a soda and a bag of chips and told me if I ever got tired there was a place for me. About a week later she gave me more food and kept offering me a place to come and rest. It was the greatest example of hospitality that I have ever witnessed. It finally took root, and one day I crossed the street and made my way up the steps and knocked on the door.
When I left two years later with a full-time job, a car, and an apartment, I thought about how it had all started with someone offering me a bag of chips.
This is a tender book. It has a lot of heart in the text and also some poignant photographs scattered throughout the chapters.
Find Your Way Home also provides readers information about Thistle Farms, a bath and body-care business run by the residents. This non-profit business provides a vital means for the women to learn new job skills. It also helps provide revenue for their program which now consists of three houses in the Nashville area.
This book would be a wonderful gift for anyone who is interested in the liberation of women from drugs and the sex industry. It is an especially valuable book for those women who find themselves in need of inspiration from their own trapped existence in abuse, addiction or streetlife. Find Your Way Home would be very appropriate and encouraging for women inmates, women in treatment, women who are addicted or homeless, and women who have lost their way. A small book with a big heart, Find Your Way Home is like a lovely bouquet of purple thistle flowers tied with a pink, silk ribbon. It's an unexpected beautiful read.
{available at AMAZON for $7.30 a copy!}
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"collage of hope" sounds like something you would create! :-)
Why would you want to read a book that appeals more to you heart than your head? Christianity has a lot more to to with our understanding than our feelings. John STott says that our faith is primarily an affair of our minds. "As a man thinketh - so is he".
Don Holmes