Salty Zebra

 What does night mean to you? Is it a time of rest and rejuvenation? Do you look forward to the end of the day with all its work and worry? Or does darkness bring with it a sense of dread? Do your thoughts begin to spiral and the "what ifs" multiply? Tish begins her book by looking at the night and what it means to different people at different times in history. When the prayer of Compline was first written, nighttime was a different creature. They did not have electric lights and cell phones, ambulances, ERs and 911. There were no security systems on the houses and the threat of thieves or worse was very real. Tish explores how, "we... face our vulnerability in a unique way as darkness falls." She considers the way, apart from the distraction of daytime, we are faced with amplified grief and anxiety.  The prayer of compline is from a monastic tradition dating back to the sixth century where Benedict and his fellow monks would pray eight times a day, starting with ...

 As I promised before , here is the first installment of my synopsis of Tish Harrison Warren's book, Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep  *. A dear friend shared this book with me while I was going through a very difficult time last summer and I'm so happy to share it with you as well. Tish Harrison Warren is the author of one of my top three favorite books of all time,  Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life  *. She has influenced my perspective on life, God, and how they all connect in so many ways. I love how she uses the historical practices of the church to explore everyday life and faith.  This book is a deep expository of the prayer of compline , found in the Book of Common Prayer , which is primarily used by the Anglican church but has influenced other denominations such as Lutherans and Methodists. Before this has you heading off to read something else, or worse doom scrolling on your phone, I'd encourage you to ...