Martha Whitmore Hickman

About 5 years ago I had a phone call from a young editor in N.Y.,who was with a publishing house I had worked with before. She and her friends had been complaining about how busy they were, they never had time to catch their breath or be with their families. She wondered--Might I be interested in doing a book around the custom of Sabbath--not only for Christians, but for Jews and Muslims, (who also have Sabbath in their tradition) and even for people who have no religious connection at all but are being worn down by lives in which there seems no space for rest?

A writer is always pleased to have an editor initiate a project, but this seemed a more linear, historically-based project than I had ever done or felt drawn to. I told the editor I would think about it and call her back.

After talking with my agent, who said, "That'd be a piece of cake for you!" and to my husband, who is a liturgical scholar and who offered to help me in any way he could, and to friends who said, "That doesn't sound like you," I called the editor and said yes, I would take it on.

So here is the book, having been published successively by two houses (the first publisher was bought by a much larger house, my book was deemed expendable and was then bought by another publisher), having been translated into Korean, and having been chosen as an alternate selection by the Literary Book Club--all of which give it a much wider range of potential readers than any other book I have written.

The chapter titles will give you a view of what's here. (The publisher assured me they didn't want a scholarly book; they wanted a "How To" book. We have a bit of both and some "story book" qualities as well.)

1. "What's Wrong with This Picture?"
2. "A Brief History of the Seven-Day Week,"
3. "The Rhythm of the Workweek,"
4. "The Weekend: the 'Other'Day,"
5. "The Sabbath: Where Did It Go?"
6."Reclaiming the Sabbath: How to Make It Happen," 7."The Weekend: The Sabbath,"
8."Habits for Successful Sabbaths: Balancing the Day," 9."The Care and Feeding of Sabbath: Seasonal Milestones,"
10."The Care and Feeding of Sabbath: Daily Promptings of the Spirit,"
11."52+ Ways to Honor the Sabbath,"
12. "A Brief Word About the Eighth Day of Creation."

It was a rewarding project, though it's not making me rich. I learned I could work in a different genre than I had done before. I certainly know more about the Sabbath than I did five years ago. I have learned to take small snatches of free time and make of them holy moments.I could wish the same for you!