A Prodigal’s Return, 2nd ed.
Spiritual/Religious
Date Published: March 11, 2020
STUMBLING TOWARD GOD traces a woman’s spiritual search with an unusual twist – from an “atheist who prays” to unorthodox membership in two contrasting churches: Unitarian and Episcopal. In the second edition of her forthright memoir, McGee shares new adventures on her spiritual quest, culminating in personal encounters with a God of love. An honest, satisfying read for anyone questioning or seeking a spiritual path. First Place for Nonfiction Book in the PNWA Literary Competition. Includes Reading Group Guide.
"An offbeat, engagingly written, appealingly uncertain spiritual memoir." – Publishers Weekly
Interview with Margaret D. McGee
What was the hardest
scene from your book to write?
The one that stands out is a story is about a spiritual
support group I attended in my early weeks at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. I
was reluctant to join the group, afraid that I’d be the oddball doubter among a
bunch of Christian believers. But at the very first meeting I was surprised to
learn just how odd we all were, and
how welcoming and generous the other people in the group were to an outsider
like me. My interactions with the members of the group, which are detailed in Chapter
5, led me to a close examination of what it really means to love another
person, particularly someone who was troubling me at the time. I came to the
point of asking, If “God is love,” then looking
at the world God made, what is love really like? That support group
transformed my understanding of the phrase “love your neighbor as yourself.” Describing
how it happened became a key section of the book.
The hardest part of writing about it had to do with
confidentiality within the group. We had agreed at the first meeting that
everything said in the group would remain confidential, and I agreed with no
idea of what was to come. Then our time together turned into a linchpin for my
spiritual memoir. So I explained the dilemma to the group and asked their
permission to share parts of their stories, while disguising their identities. When
I asked their permission, I gave each of them an early draft of the relevant
material. If any had objected, I either would have removed that person from the
story, or in one crucial case, would have had to delete the entire section from
the book. Thankfully, they all agreed. The rector had formed the group and couldn’t
reasonably be disguised. He agreed as well, and so the story appears in the
book.
Resolving the confidentiality issue, then writing the scene
fairly and honestly while disguising the group members, was a struggle. I’m
grateful to each of them today for their generosity to me and my work.
Why did you choose to
write in your particular field or genre?
I’d say the genre chose me. Through adolescence and early
adulthood, I fantasized that I’d become a famous novelist. But that was not my
path. After writing a lot of fiction that few editors were crazy enough to
publish, I started to earn my living as a technical writer, a field that suited
my talents much better. Then in my middle years, I underwent a transformation
in spiritual life that was so unexpected, I had to write about it just to try
to understand what was happening. Pieces of that writing found their way in
various magazines in the spiritual/religious market, and eventually came
together in the first edition of Stumbling
Toward God. Since then, I’ve published two additional nonfiction books with
spiritual/religious themes.
If you write in more
than one genre, how do you balance them?
Over the years, I’ve written highly technical material for
corporate websites and user guides, books and blog posts in the
spiritual/religious field, and occasional poetry. One of my books, Haiku – The Sacred Art: A Spiritual Practice
in Three Lines (Skylight Paths Publishing), melds poetry writing with
spirituality. But I don’t juggle writing projects easily, and have usually been
entirely focused on one genre or another for any period of time. While writing
technical material, which I did to earn a living, I wasn’t writing much else.
It was only when I could take breaks from making money that I wrote about my
spiritual life or had the bandwidth to write poetry. I admire writers who can
move fluidly between genres—I’m not one of them.
What did you enjoy
most about writing this book?
In the publication of the first edition of Stumbling Toward God, I was fortunate to
work with a great editor and publisher: Marcia Broucek at Innisfree Press. Marcia
gently and firmly helped me turn my manuscript into a real book. There is no
greater gift to a writer than a good editor. Later Marcia joined SkyLight Paths
and was also the editor of my next two books, Sacred Attention and Haiku –
The Sacred Art. I still cherish our time working together.
What book that you
have read has most influenced your life?
I’m debating between the Bible
and the World Book Encyclopedia,
which my dad bought for the home when I was a kid. For influence as a young
person, I’d have to vote for the latter. Marvelous illustrations from botany,
anatomy, geography, human history—the stories of our world. I paged through it
again and again with intense pleasure.
Tell us a little
about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
I have a round scar on my right knee, the remains of a nasty
fall off my bike on a gravel road near our house when I was 10. My mom tried
home treatment at first, but the wound got infected, and we ended up at the
doctor’s office. With my knee treated and well wrapped, I walked with a
distinct limp for weeks. An adult family friend took to calling me “Hopalong
McGee,” after the TV Western “Hopalong Cassidy,” which I did not appreciate at
all.
Can you tell us
something about your book that is not in the summary?
It’s funny in places. To me, if Stumbling Toward God succeeds in its mission, it will be because
the reader laughed at least once while reading it, recognized themselves at
least once through my struggles, and closed the book thinking, If she can take her own path, I can too. I
have truth inside me, and I’m not alone. There are good people out there
willing to help. I don’t have to do what other people think I ought to
do. I can take the path that’s laid out in my own heart and come to the place where
I belong.
About the Author
Margaret D. McGee writes books about being alive in the cosmos, paying attention, and making connections. Her parents were both preacher’s kids, and her father pursued a successful career in public education. These two themes—applied faith and applied intellect—returned in her middle years when she joined the Episcopal parish and Unitarian Universalist fellowship in her small town. She says, “Going back and forth, week on, week off, between the “prayer-book” Episcopalians and the free-thinking
Unitarians provided an essential bridge in my spiritual path—a bridge that led me to a new place.” McGee has had a varied career, including a time at the Microsoft Corporation, where she was employed as a master writer. She now lives in the Olympic Peninsula with her husband, David. In addition to Stumbling Toward God, her books include Sacred Attention and Haiku – The Sacred Art, both published by Skylight Paths Publishing. Her liturgical prayers and skits have been used by faith communities across the United States, and can be found at her website, InTheCourtyard.com.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
2 comments:
Thank you for hosting!
Thank you, Avid Reader, for hosting. I enjoyed the interview process.
Post a Comment