Loneliness and belonging aren’t nice and tidy. Few things are.

I wrote The Great Belonging because the formulas everyone is looking for don’t exist.

But here’s the thing: The more we talk about and acknowledge loneliness, the less power it has over us.

And as we recognize and celebrate our belongings, the greater our ability to connect with ourselves, others, God, and the world.

The Great Belonging is a lovely little book for anyone interested in exploring various aspects of loneliness and belonging. The book’s five sections are: Belonging to Ourselves, Belonging to Each Other, Belonging to Our Places, Belonging through Art, and Belonging to God.

From the Back of the Book:
What if loneliness is a necessary part of the human condition? What if it is a current that leads us deeper into belonging--to ourselves, to each other, and to God?

In The Great Belonging, writer and spiritual director Charlotte Donlon reframes loneliness and offers us a language for the disquiet within. Instead of turning away from the waters of loneliness for fear they will engulf us, she invites us to wade in and see what we find there. In vulnerable, thoughtful prose, Donlon helps us understand our own occasional or frequent loneliness and offers touchpoints for understanding alienation.