The Beauty That Sustains Us

Growing up, Kathryn Schulz and her sister's favorite nights were the ones their dad narrated his own stories about the adventures of Yana and Egbert from Rotterdam; A town he chose because he knew it'd make them laugh. The intentionality behind Isaac's stories are representative of the abundance of love he aspired to share with his daughters — The love Kathryn now shares with her own. This is where Kathryn's memoir, Lost & Found, begins and ends. In chronicling her experience losing her father and simultaneously falling in love with her wife, she illustrates our capacity to find beauty in life's duality. "It is helpful to remember that beauty exists and beauty persists; And, that we can choose to side with it, champion it, and protect it." Kathryn shares her journey grieving her father, from experiencing grief as a thousand tiny heartbreaks to acknowledging that acceptance and longing aren't mutually exclusive. Then, beginning in the midst of his illness, her relationship showcases love's capacity to enrich the totality of our lives. Lost & Found is an invitation of healing and hope. Perhaps most importantly in the recognition that while love and loss are often marked by beginnings and endings, it's savoring the middle that truly matters.