“My copy of Linda Hoye’s The Presence of Absence is studded with bookmarks so I can return to some of my favourite passages in her wonderful new book. I had to smile when she buys a new Moleskin notebook—then decides she needs a new desk to go with it! (87) I recognize myself both in her busyness and in her recognition of its limits.
Busy isn’t the balm we need to heal. Busy work isn’t work at all, it’s just a place to hide from the wild things. The real work comes in stillness when we’re brave enough to face the things that startle us in the night, to stand in the opening to a cave of unknowing and take the first step forward. (80-81)
Like Linda, I enjoy spending time in my little garden too, yet perhaps I also sometimes miss the point as she notes about herself:
I catch glimpses of the divine in the garden but I’m too focused on the work to pay attention to the wonder. (91)
For all these reasons and more, I’m excited to interview Linda and introduce her book to you, The Presence of Absence: A Story About Busyness, Brokenness, and Being Beloved(Benson Books, 2020).“
Thus begins a conversation I had with April Yamasaki on her Writing and Other Acts of Faith blog. Read the entire exchange here. https://aprilyamasaki.com/2020/06/29/busy-broken-and-being-beloved/
