It wasn ’ t until they ’ d had their first child that she realized “ their ” decision had foreclosed on her own academic dreams . “ I was resentful once ,” she admits to me . “ But then I think to myself : I chose something else .” promise of love . Remember that you die — and grow lionhearted .
Excerpt from In Good Time by Jen Pollock Michel . Copyright 2022 . Used by permission of Baker Books , a division of Baker Publishing Group .
www . bakerpublishinggroup . com
Frost ’ s poem again : “ I doubted if I should ever come back .”
Both of us nearing fifty , Heather and I know to admit that earthly life is not open-ended possibility . Our advice , then , is rather practical : for as many days as you ’ re given , delight in them . Wear your yeses to a nub . Let your brimming cup of joy , even in the long , dark valleys of no and wish I could , bear witness to the God who enjoys you .
But then remember : like a cord , time will be cut . The lights will go out . The curtains will draw . This stage on which life is played will be swept by the night custodian , and the only one to remember your name will be God himself . The God who remembers Abraham , Noah , Rahab . The God who remembers every sworn
Jen Pollock Michel is the award-winning author of Teach Us to Want , Keeping Place , Surprised by Paradox , and A Habit Called Faith . She holds a BA in French from Wheaton College and an MA in Literature from Northwestern University , and she is also a student in Seattle Pacific ’ s MFA program . Jen is a wife and mother of five and hosts the Englewood Review of Books podcast .
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