The Buddha at My Table: How I Found Peace in Betrayal and Divorce

by Tammy Letherer

Overview

Can you come sit at the table? Tammy Letherer’s husband of twelve years spoke these words on a Tuesday night, just before Christmas, after he had put their three children in bed. He had a piece of paper and two fingers of scotch in front of him. As he read from the list in his hand, his next words would shatter her world and destroy every assumption she'd ever made about love, friendship, and faithfulness.

In The Buddha at My Table, Letherer describes―in honest, sometimes painful detail―the dismantling of a marriage that encompasses the ordinary and the surreal, including the night she finds a silent, smiling Thai monk sitting at the same dining room table. It’s this unexpected visitation, this personification of peace, that sticks with her as she listens to her husband reveal hurtful, shocking things―that he never loved her, he doesn’t believe in monogamy, and he wants to “wrap things up” with her in four weeks―and allows her to find the blessing in her husband’s betrayal. Ultimately, it’s when she realizes that she is participating in her life, not at its mercy, that she discovers the path to freedom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631524257
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	10/16/2018
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	1,201,965
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Tammy Letherer is a writing coach, blogger, and author of the novel Hello Loved Ones. She lives in Chicago with her three children and enjoys yoga, swing dancing, reading a good novel, Earl Grey tea, and spending time outdoors. Read her blogs about creativity, spirituality, and the writing life on the Huffington Post or visit her at TammyLetherer.com.

Editorial Reviews

2020 NYC Big Book Award
2019 Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year
2018 Living Now Book Award
2018 Human Relations Indie Book Award, Finalist
2018 Best Book Award, Finalist
2018 National Indie Excellence Award

“Readers will be captivated by the bold storytelling and colorful expression in Tammy Letherer’s memoir, The Buddha at my Table… The honesty, humor, and inspiration in Tammy’s story make it a must-read.”
—Betty Hafner, Author of Not Exactly Love: A Memoir

“In her new book, Tammy Letherer writes candidly and honestly of the demise of her marriage and its impact on the lives of her family and herself. Although the story of unexpected divorce is sadly becoming all too familiar, few have written as clearly or as frankly about it as Letherer has done here. Not only does she take the reader step by step through her experience, she also explores her role in the unraveling of the relationship. Through her exploration, she gains awareness into the person she is and the person she wants to be. She shares her insights and offers a helpful and hopeful journey for herself and others experiencing a similar situation. This was a book I was unable to put down. I am confident others will find it beneficial and engaging as well.”
—Kathryn Taylor, author of Two Minus One

“The Buddha at My Table is an honest journey through the death of a marriage and rebirth of one of life’s most unnurtured forces: resilience. In this inspiring memoir, Letherer’s prose resonates effortlessly with anyone who has ever suffered an unexpected loss of love, a loss that, for the author, proves to be a disguised blessing on the path to finding her heart. The road is bumpy, sometimes sinuous, yet Letherer has a special way of keeping us right by her side. When she writes, ‘There’s a sense that I’m participating in life, not at its mercy,’ you realize just how far she’s come. A wonderfully written and remarkably relatable account.“
—Jonna Spilbor, attorney, legal analyst, and creator of Divorce Boss

“Tammy Letherer holds up every piece of a shattered marriage and finds a way to make each one reflect the light. In doing so, she affirms the teaching from A Course in Miracles that says ‘All your past except its beauty is gone and nothing is left but a blessing.’ These pages will point you toward peace.”
―Maureen Muldoon, author of The Spiritual Vixen's Guide to an Unapologetic Life

“The Buddha at My Table is a balm for divorcing moms and exactly the . . . words we need when everything in our lives is changing.”
—Jessica Ashley, the Divorce Coach for Moms and founder of Single Mom Nation

From the Publisher