In A MONTH OF SUNDAYS, author Julie Mars grapples with her beloved older sister Shirley's death - the events leading up to it, the death itself, and the chaotic feelings she's left with afterward. To cope with her grief, she visits a different church each week for 30 weeks in a search for understanding, peace, and meaning. Meaning does come, not with any grand, sweeping insights, but slowly, in bits of memory and experience. And that's what so beautiful about this book - the way Mars weaves together daily stories, past and present, as she seeks to cope with deep emotion. She stops to look at the events that most of us allow to drift by, and thus inspires us to pay closer attention to our own lives. She's a wonderful writer, and her stories are alive with her vivid prose. I gave copies of her book to several friends who are coping with personal loss, and copies to other friends, too, who are not - this book is for everyone with a drive to look deeply into life.
In A MONTH OF SUNDAYS, author Julie Mars grapples with her beloved older sister Shirley's death - the events leading up to it, the death itself, and the chaotic feelings she's…