John

I've followed Rachel for a while, listened to many podcasts appearances and in general, have really appreciated her work. But, not being a voracious reader, like my wife, have never just sat down with one of her books. I bought this one a few years ago, when my faith was begining to peek out from the devestation it had been through. I thought that it looked like a good read for someone in my shoes. Well, now Rachel is no longer with us. I'd been keeping up online about her health crisis and it came to a heartbreaking conclusion. I decided that it would be a fitting tribute on a beautiful Sunday morning to skip out of church and finally start on it. I'm already having to work through some things. I've often had to battle my past and often I'm tempted to place blame/accuse/whine about how my faith panned out. But, everyone is flawed, including yours truly. These people in my past started me on my path. They loved me and introduced me to a bigger mystery. It's up to me to make something of it. I carry this thought with my feelings on how I raise Lauren in her faith. I can only hope to show her love and hope to not screw her up too badly. I understand that her generation is different from mine, just like mine from my parents'. I just hope to set her on a path, in my screwed up way, that seeks to follow the example of love and tenderness of the Jesus that emerged along side me as I crawled out from under my rubble pile. Thank you, Rachel.