The Long Night
Readings and Stories to Help You through Depression
Jessica Kantrowitz
Fortress Press
Minneapolis
THE LONG NIGHT
Readings and Stories to Help You through Depression
Copyright © 2020 Fortress Press, an imprint of 1517 Media. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Email copyright@1517.media or write to Permissions, Fortress Press, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209.
Cover design: Olga Grlic
Print ISBN: 978-1-5064-5664-5
eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-5665-2
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In loving memory of Jason Heanssler and Rob Ghirardi
Contents
• 4. Carrying on Until You Can’t Carry on Any More
• 5. Learning to Pray When Prayer Hurts
• 8. A Safe Place to Cry While You Learn How Not to Cry
• 11. Finding Your People (and Losing Them)
• 12. Finding Your People Online
• 13. Finding Your True Calling
• 18. Finding Real-Life Community Again
• Epilogue: What You Have Gained, You Have Gained
The Long Night: Invitation
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question . . .
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.”
~T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock[1]
Come for a walk with me, my friend. I know you are tired. I know that sorrow has settled into your bones like the ache from an old wound. Come with me anyway. Lean on my arm. It is only a few steps to the forest’s entrance and a few more to a bench where we can rest. I know the colors have gone out of your life, and you cannot rouse yourself to remember them. I know. In the twilight, the world is muted, and it will not sting as much when you can only see grey. We can turn back anytime. Your bed will be waiting for you. Just come out for a few minutes.
Come for a walk with me, dear one. I know that walking is hard, and your muscles ache; you feel a weariness that does not pass no matter how much you sleep. I know that talking feels impossible, and you fear that if you do speak, you will be unable to stop and will wear me out with your words, crying over and over of your pain and despair. It’s all right, my friend. You do not have to speak, and if you do, there is space in my heart and in the forest for all your pain. There is space ...
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About The Long Night: Readings and Stories to Help You through DepressionYou've done what you can: you've seen your doctor, made an appointment with a therapist, picked up the prescription for the antidepressant and swallowed that first strange pill. But it can take four to eight weeks for the meds to start to work, and it might take two or more tries before you and your doctor find the ones that work best for you. When you're in the midst of terrible depression, those weeks can feel like an eternity. You just want to feel better now. This book is for those who are in the long night of waiting. It does not promise healing or deliverance; it is not a guide to praying away the depression. It is simply an attempt to sit next to you in the dark while you wait for the light to emerge. Drawing on the wisdom of spiritual figures from the past and present--including Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Barbara Brown Taylor, Bunmi Laditan, and many others--The Long Night is a comforting and inspirational companion for anyone in the midst of depression. Writer, editor, and minister Jessica Kantrowitz has been where you are. As a mentor and friend, she will walk with you on this journey toward life and light. |
| Support Info | 9781506456652 |