Catholic Christian Book & Gift Store
and Coffee House!

Interview with Marie Luttrell

Posted: November 19th, 2008

Marie Luttrell has recently published a new book called “At The Back Door”. It is a compilation of her articles for the B.C. Catholic over the course of 10 years. Her regular article was one of the most popular features of the paper.

We’ll be having a book signing with her at our store this Saturday, November 22^nd from 1:00 to 3:00. We thought it would be great to do a little exclusive interview with Marie in preparation for the event.

We hope that you will come in for the book signing and pick up a copy of Marie’s book. It’s a great opportunity for those of you who knew and loved her column to rediscover what you loved and maybe read some of the ones that you missed. For those of you who don’t know the column, what a great opportunity to discover it!

Interview

How long have you been a resident of this area of B.C.? Why did you / your family move here (if you did)? What do you like best about living here?

We moved to BC from the Eastern United States in 1970. My husband got a teaching job here, and we loved the thought of the adventure. I love the natural beauty – and the sense of community in our parish and neighborhood.

How did you start writing for the B.C. Catholic?

I started writing in 1983 when challenged by the B C Council for Families to submit something to our local papers to celebrate Family Month in May. Fr. Vincent Hawkswell, then the editor, liked the pieces and asked if I would continue on a weekly basis.

“So much of the spiritual life is listening, because God enters our lives through our senses, especially through our ears. I think that because of writing, my prayer life changed and deepened.”

What was it like to write a regular column for the paper for so many years?

There’e two sides to this. It was a discipline that I loved. It was a discipline I sometimes resented too. I was grateful for the deadline. Sometimes things flowed, and sometimes I had to push the pencil – as it were. Overall, it helped me to write regularly to deepen my spiritual life, and my honesty, and to improve my writing.

What was the inspiration that started you writing articles about discovering God in everyday life?

The very first thing I had published was a piece about walking with my father, who had died many years before. He was a lawyer – a good writer, a clear thinker, and a generous man. I think he has had a hand in all this.

Did you see a development in your writing style and spiritual maturity over the course of your writing these articles? What was the most important area that you grew in?

Absolutely. The first years of the column were strictly family, but after a time, I was able to include other spiritual topics as well. Writing made me pull books off the library shelves I might never have seen, and listen more carefully to what people told me. So much of the spiritual life is listening, because God enters our lives through our senses, especially through our ears. I think that because of writing, my prayer life changed and deepened.

Do you have a favorite story about how someone’s life has been affected positively by your articles?

I think the one column I received the most feedback for was the announcement of a pregnancy ten years after my last child. I really wondered what God had in mind that time! It didn’t take long though, to see this new baby as a gift for our whole family. Over the years, people have still asked about my child of my “old age”, who is now in Grade 12. Many of them were able to see their own live experiences or those of close family and friends and the column did some good.

What effect do you hope your book will have on people?

I hope that they will be able to find common threads with the stories in the book, and find gratitude. More and more, I am convinced that God is found in all things, good circumstances, difficult circumstances, people who are easy to love, and people who challenge us. But finding God there is the gift, and when we can be grateful, we grow.

About the book

The following is an excerpt from the introduction to the book:

“This book represents columns from about the last ten years of that space in the paper. I have gathered them loosely under headings: HOME, HEALTH, HANDS, HOLY, HOPE – five facets of the great gift of life that God shares so abundantly. My hope is that as you read these pages, you might find yourself here and there, stop, reflect, and thank God for his incredible love for us. It’s all right here before us, every day. He’s right there at the back door.”