I grew up in a pastor’s family. From the beginning of their marriage my parents were in ministry together, and as I grew up, my mom continued to embrace her own sense of call and giftedness.
Perhaps then it’s unsurprising that I, too, now find myself in ministry; embracing my calling and gifts as my own daughter works on her own sense of identity.
This book’s subject piqued my interest for these reasons, and I was not disappointed.
While there are some format and style choices that are distracting, the content is very helpful. This slim book of reflections captures the key ideas that this father wants to share with his adult daughter as he reflects on his life and summarizes his values.
Written by a man of faith who longs for his daughter to embrace the Christian values and tradition in which she was raised, some significant reflections for me were:
- Our choices in life define us and determine what kind of person we will be (as opposed to our spoken values).
- When we don’t live with authenticity, when we are in a space where we need to be invisible to survive, something inside us erodes. Vitality is rooted in our authenticity. Relatedly, when we allow people to see our authentic selves, we connect more deeply
- Perfectionism is learned (Gah! As an Enneagram 1 this hit too close to home.) Connected to this reflection, the observation that perfectionists often can’t discern between love and approval.
- Beautiful and helpful section reflecting on the tension of holding on and letting go throughout life (Seriously take a moment to think about key points in your life– how many were lived in this space?!)
I found this book to be in instructive without being preachy. While I’m not sure how valuable young adults who have walked away from faith would find this, I think it’s a great resource for those looking for some anchor points in parenting, or for those parents who have launched children, as this could be a good framework for reflection and assessing your own experience and summarizing the core ideas you would write in a letter of inspiration or encouragement to you adult children and growing grandchildren. What a gift that could be!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Walking Each Other Home free from the author through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.