This summer I have been reading Sue Monk Kidd. First I read her book on creativity and writing, Writing Creativity and Soul. In that book she references the books she has written, and I began the hunt for The Book of Longings. I found it at an independent bookstore in Port Townsend, WA, Imprint Bookshop. The owner told me it was his favorite of her books, that it really made him think.
Sue Monk Kidd imagines that Jesus would have had a wife. She names her Ana. She is a strong and smart woman who feels pent up by the usual chores of a wife. In this reimagining of history, Ana shows us that even though society norms did not listen to her voice, she has one. She is a writer in a time when writing a book was done painstakingly by hand on papyri. She believes in her own power. Her relationship with Jesus is built on pure love and mutual respect. I got lost in this story and wanted to live there.
Once long ago I had a dream in which Jesus appeared to me. I was so moved by it that it set off a longing in me much like Ana’s longing. However, Ana is not only driven by her longing for Jesus, she is also driven by her longing to be heard. She has shown me that it is enough to be who you truly are.
Sue Monk Kidd does an amazing job of keeping the historical and biblical information true while giving us a woman to relate to.
Ana writes a prayer into her incantation bowl:
Lord our God, hear my prayer, the prayer of my heart. Bless the largeness inside me, no matter how I fear it. Bless my reed pens and my inks. Bless the words I write. May they be beautiful in your sight. May they be visible to eyes not yet born. When I am dust, sing these words over my bones: she has a voice.
Ana, Jesus’s wife (The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd)
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret, I have seen her books but never read any of them. Too often others brush off what we have to say and we feel inconsequential. I think this longing is a basic need we all have, one to be seen and heard. To know that what we say and do matters. Bob
I loved Kidd’s book, The Secret Life of Bees. I also enjoyed her memoir, God’s Joyful Surprise, even though I read it several decades ago. I have The Invention of Wings on my “want to read” shelf. Your endorsement of this book makes me want to read it too – “I got lost in this story and wanted to live there.”
I loved THE BOOK OF LONGINGS. I love any form that imagines a “messy” Jesus story. It opens up so much more in the way of faith for me. Thank you for reminding me of it, Margaret.
Margaret: I just mentioned to a friend that I remembered a story with bees in the wall, but I couldn’t remember the title. Now you have reminded me and I think it was no coincidence. I will have to find The Book of Longings. Thank you for sharing this. I once experienced a sense of being with Jesus while in a prayer led by a minister. I felt such deep peace and acceptance… unforgettable. The story you describe definitely speaks to me. Thanks again.
Margaret, thank you for offering information on The Book of Longings. It sounds fascinating. Maybe my library will have that book to read. Having a dream about Jesus is extraordinary. You must fill blessed by that. Thank you also for sharing the prayer of Ana. This line, “Bless the words I write,” makes me pause and know that Jesus gives our small group and many others feel the nearness of His words to move us forward.