For decades my favorite novel has been A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Last month, I read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and it immediately jumped to the top of my list.
I shouldn’t be surprised – Robinson wrote the book in 2004 and it won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 2005. President Obama awarded Robinson the National Humanities Medal in 2012 for her book.
The book is a long letter written by a dying, 76-year-old pastor to his 7-year-old son, hoping to codify and impart family history and wisdom before he dies. The narrative explores themes of faith, legacy, love, and morality.
The book gave expression to things I have sensed but never been able to clarify. It offered me thoughts that I have never had before. Often, I would reread a paragraph not because I didn’t understand it but because it was so beautiful and meaningful.
Here are a few nuggets.
-
- “As I write I am aware that my memory has made much of very little.”
- “It was like one of those dreams where you’re filled with some extravagant feeling you might never have in life, it doesn’t matter what it is, even guilt or dread, and you learn from it what an amazing instrument you are, so to speak, what a power you have to experience beyond anything you might ever actually need.”
- “To be useful was the best thing the old men ever hoped for themselves, and to be aimless was their worst fear.”
- “You’re just a nice-looking boy, a bit slight, well scrubbed and well mannered. All that is fine, but it’s your existence I love you for, mainly. Existence seems to me now the most remarkable thing that could ever be imagined.”
I do admit, that I might favor the book because I feel a kinship with the protagonist because I, too, am a pastor in my mid-70s and have a 2-year-old granddaughter living with us. I encourage you to read this book. I’m going to read it again.
Travel with Friends Information Meeting on Zoom
Join me for a Zoom meeting on Thursday, March 19 from 7:00-8:00pm to visit about the upcoming TWF trip to Iberia in August. If you want to join this Zoom meeting, email me at djmcminn@msn.com and I’ll send you a link. You can download Zoom for free. You can also participate via a conference call using your mobile phone.
We’ll discuss the itinerary, accommodations, and ports of call. The Q&A will answer all your questions.
Click below for a brochure about the trip.
Iberian-Peninsula-2026-Final Brochure
If you have any questions, email me at djmcminn@msn.com or call me at 214.783.4414