I liked this book because it showed honest grief & the ability to emerge from that grief with purpose & dignity. The female game warden helped many through difficult situations using good listening skills & compassion. She didn't shy away from tragic situations, rather, she entered those places as best she could, to hold a hand, touch a dead person, pace the floor, etc. She was there when people needed her.

NancyNova has this on her Wishlist. We read this for our church book discussion group, and most people liked the honesty of the book.

Enjoy!

Thank you! I forget how I heard about this book, but it seemed like a good read. Maybe this one will be a bookclub recommendation for my churches - we'll see.

rabck from ValPete; interesting bio. Kate's husband, a Maine state policeman, is killed in a car crash. He was considering going to seminary, and Kate decides to fulfill his wish and go to seminary herself, later taking a job as a chaplain with the Maine Game Warden service, bringing spiritual guidance and listening to the wardens and the families that the wardens interact with on search and rescues. And no - she doesn't get to bless the moose!

Heading out to fulfill a wish in the tag game

A tag book!

Received safely today. Thank you so much, Nancy!

I enjoyed this memoir very much. Kate seems like the kind of person I would love to know in real life. Her voice comes across clearly in the memoir, and I found it warm, humorous, and somewhat irreverent -- a compelling combination! If I were in a crisis situation, I think Kate is just the sort of chaplain I would like to have by my side. She incorporates her faith into the book, but never comes across as the least bit preachy. I also appreciated learning about the Maine Warden Service through the details provided in the memoir. I didn't really know anything about them or their role prior to reading this. Recommended!

Reserving for the Non-Fiction VBB.

Description from Amazon:

Ten years ago, Kate Braestrup, her husband, Drew, and their four young children were enjoying a morning like any other. Then Drew, a Maine state trooper, left for work and everything changed. On the very roads that he patrolled each day, an oncoming driver lost control, and Kate lost her husband. Stunned and grieving, Kate decided to pursue what had been her husband's dream and became a minister. And soon she found a most unusual calling: serving as chaplain for search-and-rescue missions in the Maine woods, giving comfort to people whose loved ones are missing - and to the wardens who sometimes have to deal with dreadful outcomes. Whether with parents whose six-year-old daughter has vanished into the woods, with wardens as they search for a snowmobiler trapped under the ice, or with a man whose sister left an infant seat and a suicide note in her car by the side of the road, Braestrup provides solace, understanding, and spiritual guidance when they're needed most. Here If You Need Me recounts Kate Braestrup's journey from grief to faith to happiness.

This is headed out as part of the Non-Fiction VBB. Enjoy!

Received this from a book box, and forgot to journal it when it first arrived. Looks like an inspiring, interesting read.

A different kind of view of law enforcement. This is a really good meditation on how we humans experience the most intense moments in life. Also ends up being an interesting introduction to the kind of ethics held by a Unitarian Universalist minister. She tells her story in a readable and sometimes inspiring, fast moving tale.

Putting into surprise paperback book box.