The road to enlightenment is long and difficult, and you sho... - Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

"It turned out this man worked for the Dalai Lama. And she said gently-that they believe when a lot of things start going wrong all at once, it is to protect something big and lovely that is trying to get itself born-and that this something needs for you to be distracted so that it can be born as perfectly as possible."

"The road to enlightenment is long and difficult, and you should try not to forget snacks and magazines."

"...most of the time, all you have is the moment, and the imperfect love of the people around you."

"Then the singing enveloped me. It was furry and resonant, coming from everyone's very heart. There was no sense of performance or judgment, only that the music was breath and food."

"Mine was a patchwork God, sewn together from bits of rag and ribbon, Eastern and Western, pagan and Hebrew, everything but the kitchen sink and Jesus."