The bestselling author of The Cloister Walk reflects on the sanctifying possibilities of everyday work and how God is present in worship and liturgy as well as in ordinary life. Definitely not "for women only."
The Quotidian Mysteries
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Laundry may seem an odd element in the realm of religious worship, but poet and author, Norris (Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, LJ 12/92) has a talent for weaving seemingly disparate fragments of life together to see them as naturally connected. She points out that "women's work" such as laundry, cooking, and cleaning, done repeatedly on a daily basis and seemingly never to completion, can be approached in the same manner as liturgy. If seen as endless and dreary repetition, these domestic rituals become mindless activities to be gotten out of the way. When considered in terms of their enormous life-giving importance, the feeding and clothing of a family and maintaining of a household can be undertaken in the contemplative spirit. They become, like prayer and worship, acts of love that transform us and, in turn, the larger world around us. An uplifting book of inspiration, this is filled with humorous insights that will be enjoyed by readers unfamiliar with Norris's other work.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
An important contribution to the field of spirituality. -- Consensus, A Canadian Lutheran Journal of Theology
An uplifting book of inspiration. -- Library Journal
Norris does her washing with remarkable grace and splashes us with cleansing tubfuls of wisdom. -- Emilie Griffin, America
The author has the ability to open the reader's eyes to the presence of God. -- Catholic Library World
This extended meditation is filled with insights and practical wisdom. --Liguorian
An uplifting book of inspiration. -- Library Journal
Norris does her washing with remarkable grace and splashes us with cleansing tubfuls of wisdom. -- Emilie Griffin, America
The author has the ability to open the reader's eyes to the presence of God. -- Catholic Library World
This extended meditation is filled with insights and practical wisdom. --Liguorian
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More About the Author
Kathleen Norris is the award-winning poet, writer, and author of the New York Times bestsellers The Cloister Walk, Amazing Grace, and Dakota: A Spiritual Geography. An oblate of Assumption Abbey, Norris divides her time between Hawaii and South Dakota.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 60 people found the following review helpful
By Deb O
Format:Paperback
Any book that can make laundry into a spiritual experience has to be worth more than the pittance that is asked for owning it! It's small, only 88 pages, but it's powerful.
Perfect reading for a time when our world is so chaotic and we are searching for moments of peace and tranquility amidst our crazy schedules. To be reminded how important ritual is to our souls is a gift! Thank you, Kathleen!
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By J. Williams
Format:Paperback
We should all be most grateful that St. Mary's shares this lecture with a wider audience than the students and faculty who were fortunate enough to hear Norris present these beautiful thoughts. The author shares her personal faith journey with practical metaphor and simile. I have reread the book several times, picking up new inspiration with each reading. Take your time and enjoy this little gem of a book. Good selection for a book club.
75 of 82 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Life is not glorious all the time. You still have to brush your teeth, go to the bathroom, take your shower. Does this have a spiritual value? Kathleen Norris has a way, the way only a poet can, of zeroing into the basic heart of the matter. As she has done in her previous works, I believe she is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit to communicate to us that there can be a heavenly value to all the mundane things we have to do in this mortal life, which applied with love, can lead us to be the person we'd like to be so eternity will be our reward. I would love to have her insight. This book has to read, again and again. We shall be so much better for doing so. The "best we can do" is only a destination. We should really "strive to be better." Thank you, Kathleen, for your inspiration.
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By Dana Lamers
Format:Paperback
This book is changing the way I look at my daily life. It is slowing me down, refreshing me, and teaching me to appreciate the daily chores and routines which usually bog me down. Norris' wisdom and honesty amazes me.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By R. BULL
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Kathleen Norris provides a very personal and thoughtful way of looking at everyday chores as an opportunity to experience grace. Since it is the lot in life of every human being to spend time at routine, unglamorous tasks, it is no surprise that those who seek contact with God can find it while sweeping the floor or commuting to work. Ms. Norris describes "women's work" such as hanging laundry on the line to dry, caring for children and washing dishes as potentially spiritual events. This is not pie in the sky. She does not deny the distractions and pain of everyday life or the struggle against depression, anger and despair that we all have. She just presents another way of looking at and experiencing the routine with a poet's sensitivity.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A remarkable work! Norris defends the inherent value to be found in the tedium of daily toil. What makes this small, 89-page book so compelling is that she reminds those of faith and those of us striving for faith that prayer does not reveal itself solely in the milieu of Sunday worship, but that it can be an unbroken dialogue with God, manifested as an offering of our obligatory, repetitive, sometimes even boring day-to-day responsibilities.
As a Christian Protestant woman who borrows from and participates in the Christian Roman Catholic practices of Benedictine monks - from which she draws much of her strength - Norris does a great service to the ecumenical spirit. Her ideas are universal and genderless.
As a Christian Protestant woman who borrows from and participates in the Christian Roman Catholic practices of Benedictine monks - from which she draws much of her strength - Norris does a great service to the ecumenical spirit. Her ideas are universal and genderless.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Ying Lu
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thought this book is a perfect antidote to an over-rated TV show called "bride-zilla" on WE television station. While the women on the TV program focuses on an idealistic wedding, this book celebrates the sanctities in life- not necessarily married life, but the fullness of life where one appreciates the lost art of repetition, of tradition, and of all the things an arrogant society regards as "lowly".
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Molly
Format:Paperback
I am an "old" woman and over the years have come to recognize some of the truths the author has expressed in this book. To have this articulated so well brought tears to my eyes over and over again as I read the 88 pages.
It is so true that what one does -- practices over and over again -- forms the person, makes them who they are. Doing the right thing can change your thoughts.
It doesn't take long to read -- I recommend it, especially to older women who, like me, are more likely to be at the stage at which they can understand it.
It is so true that what one does -- practices over and over again -- forms the person, makes them who they are. Doing the right thing can change your thoughts.
It doesn't take long to read -- I recommend it, especially to older women who, like me, are more likely to be at the stage at which they can understand it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Daily work as an integral part of daily prayer
I enjoy Kathleen Norris' books; she makes what worldly people consider lowly every day tasks a part of our daily prayer. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lupe Thompson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Minutia of daily life
I like Kathleen Norris, so whatever she writes I read. I enjoyed this short book and recommend it for an uplifting look at what we do without thinking that ultimately makes life... Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Linda Hopp
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of the Quitidian Mysteries
This is a concise, chock-full of wisdom and humor book with amazing ruminating potential. Kathleen Norris' take on the sacredness of the everyday is like cold clean fresh air. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Maxine Bergh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prayer Life Assistance
Wonderful book. Title is not particularly grabbing, but the content is inspiring. Kathleen Norris is, in my opinion, an excellent writer. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Kathie Gauld
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Short Book with a Few Nuggets
This 88-page book is one of those books for the bedside--it can be both inspirational and hypnotic (as in sleep-inducing perhaps!). Read more
Published 15 months ago by Donna Hill
1.0 out of 5 stars
It got boring
The first part of this book was interesting and entertaining, but when the author decided to describe her college escapades, I lost interest. Boring! I never finished it.
Published 16 months ago by Jacque R. Buntin
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Beauty and Holiness in Ordinary Work
Kathleen Norris' little book about "laundry, liturgy and `women's work'" is a must read for anyone who struggles to see the value in repetitive tasks. Read more
Published on February 9, 2010 by Kristen Stewart
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grace in daily life
This is a very good book, one that I would highly recommend for someone interested in Christian spirituality of a form not widely appreciated in our culture. Read more
Published on February 9, 2010 by M. Austin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely, but she repeats it elsewhere
This little book is a beautiful presentation of how Benedictine principles can enrich the lives of non-monastics. Read more
Published on August 19, 2009 by Donna Anderson
2.0 out of 5 stars
a few quotes, but nothing profound and far too self-absorbed
This is my first foray into the writings of Kathleen Norris, and I am hoping that this is not her usual and customary style of narrative. However, I have a feeling it is. Read more
Published on September 27, 2008 by Whimsy Taylor
