When she was twenty-seven, Doris Grumbach was visited by what she recognized as the presence of God. For a woman without any religious education or faith, it was as unexpected as it was joyful.The Presence of Absence follows Grumbach's journey to recover through prayer the sense of God's presence. Eventually abandoning formal prayer in church, she begins to celebrate God using a private ceremony of worship. Illuminated by her readings of accounts of epiphany - from Meister Eckhard to Thomas Merton, Simone Weil to Kathleen Norris - her searching attempts at private prayers reflect some of the most compelling issues of faith: Can we question our memories of "spiritual radiance"? Is it wrongheaded to try to recover joy? Can we experience God without social action, service, and community?Intensified by an extended period of extreme and chronic pain, Grumbach's quest to feel the presence of God is a moving and inspiring journey through vanity, faith, and love. Read Less