"Spiritual teachers come in many guises. Sometimes they come in the guise of physicians like Rachel, sometimes in the guise of ordinary people who are suffering with disease. To learn to hear the spiritual teaching that all of can offer to each other is what this book is all about."
"As a physician, and as a human being, I live in a world of stories. Stories are not replicable because we are each unique. Our uniqueness is what gives us value and meaning. Yet in the telling of stories we also learn what makes us similar, what connects us all, what helps us transcend isolation that separates us from each other and ourselves."
"Stories are the language of community."
"People who feel lonely and isolated are more likely to smoke, to overeat, to abuse drugs, to work too hard. Also many studies have shown that people who feel lonely and isolated have three to five times the risk of premature death not only from heart disease but also from all causes when compared to those who have a sense of connection and community."
"Suffering - whether physical, emotional, spiritual, or as is often the case, all three - can be a doorway to transformation."
"Telling stories can be healing."
"Listening to stories can be healing."
Dean Ornish - From the forward to the book "Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal
" by Rachel Naomi Remen.If you find these interesting, I typed in a few more quotes from this book over at my Yahoo! blog. This is one of those books that is filled with gems. I have 20 or 30 markers in it with underlines to remind of the parts I liked. I highly recommend it.
