From Beginning to End: The Rituals of our Lives

by Robert Fulghum

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FROM BEGINNING TO END Why "rituals"? My thinking was set in motion by those who, knowing I was a parish minister for many years, have asked me for advice about ceremonies and celebrations. They wanted words to use at graduations, funerals, and the welcoming of children. They inquired about grace at family meals, the reaffirmation of wedding vows, and ways to heal wounds suffered in personal conflict. People requested help with the rituals of solitude, such as meditation, prayer, and contemplation. . . . Rituals do not always involve words, occasions, officials, or an audience. Rituals are often silent, solitary, and self-contained. The most powerful rites of passage are reflective--when you look back on your life again and again, paying attention to the rivers you have crossed and the gates you have opened and walked on through, the thresholds you have passed over. I see ritual when people sit together silently by an open fire. Remembering. As human beings have remembered for thousands and thousands of years. FULGHUM From the Paperback edition.… (more)

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America's most beloved philosopher and essayist draws from his ministerial background to celebrate "the unnameable wonder and mystery of life, " teaching readers how to create their own personally meaningful ceremonies while being gathered in a universal and ebullient embrace.

StFrancisofAssisi | Nov 13, 2023 |

I've loved everything I've ever read by Fulghum, but this is a special favorite, which I gave a to both my children to assist them with the rituals of their lives. (

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jjbinkc | Aug 27, 2023 |

Fulghum is a Unitarian Universalist minister who gained fame with his book of humorous and kindly essays, All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. This book is more of an extended meditation on life passages and more ordinary occasions, both public and private, with suggestions on how to honor them and celebrate them. He includes stories and anecdotes on each topic.

The book has its moments, but if you are already versed on the art of ritual, you will find it very lightweight. It's a pleasant enough read, but I didn't get much of anything out of it. However, if your background is different from mine, you may find it rewarding. (

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PhaedraB | Feb 12, 2022 |

The author, Robert Fulghum, ". . .received his Bachelor of Divinity at Starr King School for the Ministry in 1961 and was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister. [The last church he served was] in Edmonds, Washington where he is currently Minister Emeritus. [Fulghum] is probably the most popular for his first book, 'All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.'" Source: Wikipedia.com The reviewer for Publishers Weekly said of this work, "In this free-form meditation. . .Fulghum examines how people impart meaning and structure to lives through public rituals-weddings, funerals, high school reunions, church services. . . He writes with the calm wisdom and gentle reassurance that marked his previous bestsellers. . ." This book includes references to his earlier books complete with each book's title and page numbers. His list of resources includes a brief synopsis of each book. Finally, Fulghum provides forms as practically titled as "Putting My House in Order" to a Health Care Directive (Living Will).

uufnn | Aug 31, 2019 |

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From Beginning to End: The Rituals of our Lives

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From beginning to end

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1995, Random House - Villard Books, New York

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FROM BEGINNING TO END Why "rituals"? My thinking was set in motion by those who, knowing I was a parish minister for many years, have asked me for advice about ceremonies and celebrations. They wanted words to use at graduations, funerals, and the welcoming of children. They inquired about grace at family meals, the reaffirmation of wedding vows, and ways to heal wounds suffered in personal conflict. People requested help with the rituals of solitude, such as meditation, prayer, and contemplation. . . . Rituals do not always involve words, occasions, officials, or an audience. Rituals are often silent, solitary, and self-contained. The most powerful rites of passage are reflective--when you look back on your life again and again, paying attention to the rivers you have crossed and the gates you have opened and walked on through, the thresholds you have passed over. I see ritual when people sit together silently by an open fire. Remembering. As human beings have remembered for thousands and thousands of years. FULGHUM From the Paperback edition.

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