In 2008 Gretchen Schwenker, a writer and editor, and Matthew Kessler, a priest who is currently president/publisher of Liguori Press, teamed up to produce Simple Graces: Poems for Meditation and Prayer. In this companion volume, they have chosen the works of more than 30 American and British poets who have written about crisis, struggle, and renewal.
These poems have within them the good medicine needed to heal our broken hearts and damaged spirits. They enable us to deal with crises and to embrace struggle rather than run from it. The main message is that "hidden graces" are at work in our loss and in our pain. We can carry on thanks to the renewing Spirit who loves and looks after us.
Schwenker and Kessler provide commentary on some of the poems and a brief biography of each poet. Some of our favorite poems are "The Answering Machine" by Linda Pastan (see excerpt), "Dirge in Woods" by George Meredith, and "The Song" by Namoi Shihab Nye.
