Book Picks-- "Inside the Miracle: Enduring Suffering, Approaching Wholeness" by Mark Nepo

Inside the Miracle will be a miracle for those who read it, especially those going through a difficult time, a big change, a loss, a confusion, a trial by fire. That means everyone born human. Our trials may differ in heat and length, but at the core, we are the same. We need each other, we need insight, and we need help. This book is help. It helps me every time I pick it up and read a poem or a teaching or the brave story of Mark Nepo's descent and rebirth.— Elizabeth Lesser, author of Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow, co-founder of Omega Institute

Many are familiar with teacher and poet

Mark Nepo's books on inner transformation, relationship, and the emergence of purpose in our lives. But less well-known is the journey that shaped his vision as a teacher that began in 1987 when he was diagnosed with cancer. The revelations during that time would inform every dimension of his work to follow.With Inside the Miracle, Mark Nep0 shares what he discovered along this challenging terrain, and the insights most essential to those of us who now find ourselves there. These lessons and stories are for all of us, ill or not, when the inevitable question arises: How do we move through an overwhelming crisis- whether from physical illness, grief, or a major life change- into the rest of our lives?What emerges is a reading companion to be explored in many ways: as a memoir, as a "survival kit" of wisdom and verse that helped Mark during his own journey, and as a conversation to spark our own contemplation, journaling, and discovery.It's poetic and philosophical and invites us to take part. Throughout, he includes new poetry and compelling questions and exercises from his popular workshop."To live in wonder on the other side of suffering and disappointment," reflects Mark Nepo, "is to know how magnificent and fragile it is to be here at all." Inside the Miracle calls us to leap into our lives with tenderness and courage, so we can fully inhabit the miraculous moments that await us.Hardback: 21.95