A Table in the Wilderness

The joyful premise at the heart of this book is that there is a table lavishly spread for all who hunger for forgiveness--the believer, the doubter, and the famished. The book's journey begins and ends with this assertion: not only is there a table of forgiveness set for us in the many wildernesses of life, there is a seat waiting for each and every one of us at that table. What matters is whether we take that seat and, if so, how we behave at the feast. Rooted in the notion of journeying, of setting out each day to discover some new vista along the many paths to the banquet hall of forgiveness, A Table in the Wilderness draws upon the wisdom of multiple religious traditions, as well as non-religious sources, in order to gain perspective on this long misunderstood subject. Readers are just as likely to encounter Dr. Seuss as they are to read the words of Sri Ramakrishna or Saint Augustine along the way. Anyone who has ever been hurt or has hurt another will find this book a helpful guide.

""Thom Rock leads us gently through the wisdom of the ages on a forty-day journey toward a forgiving heart. Setting aside unrealistic--and all too often unrealizable--expectations of apology or reconciliation, we find ourselves moving toward an inner transformation, finally allowing our defensive shell to be broken, our fists to be unclenched, and old hurts and resentments to be washed away in the healing waters of forgiveness.""
--Linda Klepinger Keenan, co-editor of Beside Still Waters

""A Table in the Wilderness probes the theme of forgiveness in a beautifully written invitation to spend 'forty days and nights' on a journey toward that place where 'forgiveness becomes not only possible, but irresistible.' With images, metaphors, and examples drawn from a myriad of sacred and secular sources, and then wonderfully woven into forty rich and inspirational meditations, Thom Rock offers us a refreshing way to discover and know in our hearts that 'forgiveness is not something we find, but live.'""
--The Rt. Rev. Thomas C. Ely, Episcopal Diocese of Vermont

""In a powerful and inspiring spiritual guide, Thom Rock offers journeys to a more profound inner life that will resonate with both the initiated and the skeptics. This is a book for individuals, friends, and communities hoping for sparks to greater intensity and joy in their lives.""
--Susannah Heschel, Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH


Thom Rock is the author of Blueberry Fool: Memory, Moments, and Meaning (2011), a collection of essays exploring the intersection of memory and belief. His writing has also appeared in several anthologies, as well as the pages of Yankee Magazine. He lives and writes in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.