Michael Gerson, thank you.

It’s been a while since I have written, and today I learned of your death. Yes, we die, so the time to write is now. You wrote so beautifully, your words were heart and mind wrestling with language as a vehicle for longing and gift, and the result made me catch my breath, at times. Yes, the world has been gifted with many such writers who touch us deeply. So the time to read is now. It is selfish of me (in part) to say thank you, but you can’t know how strongly your death motivates me to begin again. You don’t know me, and you have family and friends who will mourn you more purely, more deeply, more truly. You are no longer in pain, and the Lord you love will see you now, sir, face to face. You have kept your appointment–the one we each must keep. So the time to live is now. Thank you, Mr. Gerson.