Dance in the Meadow

Conversations of Self-Discovery, Clarity, and Love

By Cathay O. Reta

Pages: 148

Publisher: Keep Walking Publications, 2023

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Solitude and quiet conversation are becoming a lost art n this often-frenetic, fast-paced world of “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble!”  Remember that game? When people got together and actually talked? Like, for real? Face to face? Instead of burying themselves in their devices and ignoring the real live person right next to them??

Those were the days.

And a new book by Cathay Reta gently draws us back to the art of conversation. Dialogue. Give and take. Learning. Growing. Sharing. Letting go.

That’s cuz Dance in the Meadow is a compilation of the author’s personal conversations with God. (Not at God. But with Him. There’s a difference.) She shares them in the hope that they will inspire and “spark truth within you and motivate you to uncover your own songs and stories.”

Most of her conversations with God take place in a dry sauna and include a vision of meeting God at a picnic table in a meadow.  Conversations touch on a wide variety of subjects that a wide variety of readers can relate to. These include disappointment. The pain of unmet expectations. Anger. Sadness. Confusion. Resentment and frustration. No more “hiding in the woods.” Loss. “Pioneer training.” Clutter. Healing waters. Calming waters. Getting off the shelf. A foot massage. Restoration. Dumpster diving. Wondrous love. Roots. You don’t have to do it alone. Not crossing the line of scrimmage until the next play is in action. Stillness.  Appreciating rain. Being comfortable not knowing everything. Rediscovering joy. The “elasticity of hope.” Weeding and pruning. “Love’s reservoir of mercy.” Be still and know.

A Chance to Slow Down

Dance in the Meadow gives readers a chance to take some slow, deep breaths. To ask the tough questions without the trite cliches or canned answers. It’s refreshingly real. Down to earth. The writing is introspective. Contemplative. Thoughtful and unhurried. There’s a tenderness here, a vulnerability and authenticity that radiates warmth like a sunny day after a long, dreary winter.

Incidentally, this book arrived just after Her Royal Momness had finished a book with a bad aftertaste. (We’re being charitable here.) Think castor oil/sardine cocktail with a Limburger cheese chaser. (Even the Kimster wouldn’t touch that.) So the LAST thing we wanted to bite into was another book that belongs right next to the Pepto Bismol. Or on the bottom of a bird cage.

Then Dance in the Meadow arrived. Talk about a breath of fresh air.

Smooth

Honest, transparent, and contemplative, the narrative flows smoothly from one event or insight to another. It’s articulate and easy to follow. Indeed, Dance in the Meadow is a pour yourself a hot cuppa, sit down in your favorite chair or reading nook and settle in for a spell kinda book. Chapters are brief, usually two or three pages. So you can put it down. Think things through. And come back later, picking up where you left off.

Genre?

Dance in the Meadow is tough to nail down when it comes to genre. You could classify it as “devotional.” Or “inspirational.” It’s both. It has a few toes in memoir/autobiographical, too. And a bit of a Pilgrim’s Progress vibe. Ditto The Shack (which we totally loved, by the way).

Dance in the Meadow is powerful yet subtle at the same time. So pour yourself a hot cuppa. Plop into your favorite reading nook or chair. And get ready to settle in for awhile. You’ll be glad you did. 

See our review of Cathay’s prior book, Keep Walking: Your Heart Will Catch Up here.

Our Rating: 4.5

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