By Heather Murphy
Waiting for the Call: From Preacher's Daughter to Lesbian Mom
Jacqueline Taylor
University of Michigan Press
I was browsing through the nominees for the Lambda Literary Prize, as is my annual habit, and came upon this simple, sincere memoir.
The story will be familiar territory to many RMNBlog readers- Jackie, Godloving daughter of a Baptist preacher, has to find a way to reconcile her faith with her questions, a process that becomes critical when she falls in love with a woman. She has to navigate the difficult waters of finding a way to keep her faith, stay connected with her parents, and help her daughters (adopted from Peru) understand their family and their place in the world.
I found a lot of ways to connect with this story; there was more than one passage in which I felt like I was reading my own life story. But I found that my favorite sections were the stories about Jackie and her daughters, and the ways they used their family stories to make the very young girls feel safe, love, and connected within their family.
The story will be familiar territory to many RMNBlog readers- Jackie, Godloving daughter of a Baptist preacher, has to find a way to reconcile her faith with her questions, a process that becomes critical when she falls in love with a woman. She has to navigate the difficult waters of finding a way to keep her faith, stay connected with her parents, and help her daughters (adopted from Peru) understand their family and their place in the world.
I found a lot of ways to connect with this story; there was more than one passage in which I felt like I was reading my own life story. But I found that my favorite sections were the stories about Jackie and her daughters, and the ways they used their family stories to make the very young girls feel safe, love, and connected within their family.
Taylor's writing was simple, clear, and honest, and I think her book is well worth reading.
Reconciling Ministries Network mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform our Church and world into the full expression of Christ’s inclusive love.
