Dancing on the Moon: The Non-Ordinary Life I Never Saw Coming, a Spiritual Memoir
Ebook
Life is messy. And beautiful. But it's the messy parts that can snag us and leave us, like some just-caught fish, desperately thrashing and wrangling to get free again. Why did this happen? Why me? We may hide, overcompensate, pretend, check-out--anything to get free. Mostly, we yearn for some kind of resolution to have it all make sense. And then, what could only be called divine synchronicity shows up and catapults us to the edge of all we know, where we're forced to face our deepest rage, sorrow, and helplessness. We now realize there's no going around, over, or under. The only way is straight through, off the edge. And so, with no options left, we squint our eyes tight and jump. And where we were sure we'd find death, we find life, life as we've never known it. Where before we believed we had to struggle and fight hard to make it all better, we now realize what was most needed was our unequivocal surrender. Only then could we discover God's unseen hand, waiting, to catch our fall. Only then could we know that fear is no match for love--the love that passes all understanding.
“This is a story that reveals what is possible even when you think it’s not. It beautifully shows how surrender opens the door to grace. Stephanie Rutt shares depth and insight in all she does.”
—Amy Leigh Mercree, author of Aura Alchemy
“My cup now overflows to receive levels of understanding through this beautifully written book, Dancing on the Moon. Stephanie Rutt writes with bare honesty, connecting with your own soul to journey together closer to God like never before. I read this twice without stopping because I didn’t want it to end. I realize now that her shared experiences will keep the reader immersed in continued blessings and spiritual growth that will never end.”
—Teal L. Gray, author of Shades of Angels
“Stephanie Rutt may invite us to dance with the moon but, through her collection of vignettes, she invites us to dance with her through the deep heat of the south and the Maine woods of the north, through heritage and legacy, through relationship joys and tears, always keeping step with the Unseen Hand of the Beloved that holds her close in the delight of disguise.”
—Lawrence Jay, executive director, Rolling Ridge Retreat and Conference Center
“This memoir of spiritual self-discovery through life experiences touched my soul. I sang, cried, and laughed along Stephanie Rutt’s journey as if I were there to witness this discovery. Rutt’s poignant stories through life offered me confirmation to my spiritual journey; in particular to trust and have faith in the ‘Unseen Hand.’ I highly recommend this brilliantly written book to anyone on a life of self-discovery.”
—Rhonda Schienle, founder, Interfaith Ministry Services
“I have known Stephanie Rutt for fifty-five years. Reading this personal story of her life has touched my heart deeply. Rutt has a brilliant quest for learning and constantly seeks ways to share this knowledge with others. This memoir is a work of true love and appreciation of her roots, devotion to family, unique goodness to cultures, her resilience, her awareness of nature, love of the human spirit, and belief in the goodness of God. Reading her memoir allows you to feel her reality in life but also her deep care about the unknown and the search for answers.”
—Jane Massey, adjunct professor of education, Mississippi State University
“Stephanie Rutt has been in my life for years, impacting it with laughter and adventure every step of the way. She has always been a beautiful poet, but it shines in her prose during the telling of her stories in her memoir. The writing is musical, and the story is magical. It takes you on a journey of looking at life as an awe-filled series of challenges interspersed with the joy of discovering life where, when choices become infused with love or worry, she always chooses love. Enjoy that love and that journey with my beloved friend.”
—Sally Grumbles, speech pathologist
“Stephanie Rutt is a master teacher and mystic, a lover of ‘the One to whom I can only point.’ In her spiritual memoir, she shares stories of her experiences of this love which has called her to live a non-ordinary life. Rutt’s heroine journey through sorrow and joy, pain and passion illuminates for the reader her tender encounters with the divine mystery as she struggles to recover from loss, wrestles with racial injustice, and learns to see the One Love everywhere. Readers will be inspired to recognize moments of their own dance on the moon as they are gently guided by a woman who knows who she is because she knows to whom she belongs.”
—Carol LaChance, author of The Way of the Mother
- Title: Dancing on the Moon: The Non-Ordinary Life I Never Saw Coming, a Spiritual Memoir
- Authors: Stephanie Rutt, Albert J. LaChance
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9798385218646, 9798385218639, 9798385218622
- Resource ID: LLS:9798385218646
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-16T20:45:03Z
Stephanie Rutt is director of the Tree of Life School for Sacred Living and founder of the Tree of Life Interfaith Temple and Seminary. She received her DMin from Andover Newton Theological School, now Andover Newton Seminary at Yale, where she graduated with honors. She is the author of five other books and an interfaith curricula program for the Tree of Life Interfaith Seminary and has appeared on the TEDx stage.