Inside the Miracle

Many are familiar with teacher and poet Mark Nepo's books on inner transformation, relationship, and the emergence of purpose in our lives. But less well-known is the journey that shaped his vision as a teacher that began in 1987 when he was diagnosed with cancer. The revelations during that time would inform every dimension of his work to follow. With Inside the Miracle, Mark Nepo shares what he discovered along this challenging terrain, and the insights most essential to those of us who now find ourselves there. The lessons and stories here are for all of us, ill or not, when the inevitable question arises: How do we move through an overwhelming crisis—whether from physical illness, grief, or a major life change—into the rest of our lives? This offering presents in its entirety Nepo's 1994 literary gem Acre of Light, written shortly after his recovery. Here, he expands and enriches its themes with new poems, essays, and teachings gathered in the decades since. Throughout, Mark includes compelling questions and exercises from his popular workshops, to invite us to personalize the experience. What emerges is a reading companion to be explored in many ways: as a memoir, as a “survival kit” of wisdom and verse that helped Mark during his own journey, and as a conversation to spark our own contemplation, journaling, and discovery. “To live in wonder on the other side of suffering and disappointment,” reflects Mark Nepo, “is to know how magnificent and fragile it is to be here at all.” Inside the Miracle calls us to leap into our lives with tenderness and courage, so we can fully inhabit the miraculous moments that await us.