It’s been beautiful and healing to read your reflections and remembrances of Rachel this last week. A few thoughts on Rachel below:

I’ve often marveled at how Rachel‘s death moved so many people at such a deep level. I’m realizing that the grief of losing her unlocked countless other griefs in us: the loss of certainty...

...the loss of church as we thought it should be...the loss of an uncomplicated or idealized faith.

And because Rach was with us when so many of us started this journey, after she died, I think we wondered if we’d have to go it alone from here on out.

I hope and I think we have realized that we are not alone after all. Perhaps Rachel’s greatest gift to us was that she helped introduce us to each other.

Rachel’s legacy was that she built a big table where all could gather (conservatives, liberals, believers, doubters, etc) to talk. And to seek Jesus together. And, I think she would say, she was never at the head of that table.

So when I think about honoring her memory, I think of doing these 3 things:

Grieve: the losses are profound and our tears are holy.

Talk: as long as you can, stay in the conversation. Don’t give up on others or yourself.

Seek Jesus: He is here. He holds the words of life.