The most painful times of life are those that encompass periods of transition -- mourning after death, grief after divorce, the loss of a job, relocation, separation from friends. Times like these challenge the way we perceive ourselves, how we relate to others and to God. Sean Caulfield underwent a painful transition like that when he made up his mind to leave a monastery where he had been a monk. This book is the story of that decision, but written in such a way that it has a bearing on our transitions as well. In those moments when we feel abandoned by God and human friends, we can take comfort from someone who has gone that way before, and who has grown and been nourished in the process. - Back cover.