The Beautiful Thread by Penelope Wilcock

"...The grief of human aloneness in the uncertainty and vulnerability of life; the grief of choosing...even with all the richness of its gift and possibility; the grief of renouncing, of not clinging, of giving back, surrendering, asking nothing."
In The Beautiful Thread, I first became excited about meeting Madeleine and William and Brother Conradus again and others of St. Alcuin's Abbey. Then, I became happy about an upcoming wedding with Rose, Madeleine's mother, as a helper. Then, Penelope Wilcock's The Beautiful Thread introduced the friendship of  Abbot John and Rose. It's such a wonderful friendship. So, it is again Yorkshire in the 14th Century at the St. Alcuin's Monastery. The book is emotional. When is love not painful and exciting, a mixture of everything?

The love between Abbot John and Rose led me to think and ask questions. Is it wrong for people who give their life to God to fall in love with another person? Is it ever possible to have a close friendship without thoughts of passion? Is the emotion of love between two people simply too powerful for any of us to control? Should a person worry about how their friends will feel about their relationship?

After reading Brother John's experience, I feel it ever more important to be aware of God's Everlasting Forgiveness. Forgiveness of ourselves is important because as humans we tend to walk where angels fear to tread. Guilt must not become a weight. It can destroy us. Too much of anything is not good. Abbot John's feelings wear him down. His struggles are written about with empathy by the author. I still think of Rose.

Life is complicated. If we are not judged and have friends with open and loving hearts it is possible to grow and never stop loving God and ourselves no matter the circumstances. The novel is again about love and friendship and trials. I will gladly read another novel by Penelope Wilcock. Her heart is deep. kregel.com/fiction/the-beautiful-thread/

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