Gracious Uncertainty: Faith in the Second Half of Life

Gracious Uncertainty: Faith in the Second Half of Life reflects on issues concerning everyone but which intensify as we grow older: loving more fully, dealing with loss, finding consolation, and having the courage to gaze (even while shaking inwardly) at the nearing reality of death. Jane Sigloh is a guide both witty and wise. She blends personal stories, Scriptural insights, and lessons drawn from years in ministry into insightful reflections on the beauty and challenges of aging. Gracious Uncertainty is an intimate, at times humorous, and often spirit-provoking guide through the unknowns of the later years.

About the Author :
Jane Sigloh is a retired Episcopal priest who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is the author of Like Trees Walking: In the Second Half of Life and a beloved speaker on topics of faith and aging.

Review :
In simple, yet lyrical prose, Sigloh, a retired Episcopal priest, ponders a variety of existential and theological questions related to aging. Short chapters typically begin with descriptions of experiences, such as ‘When my mother was in her eighties, she started putting things in little plastic bags,’ which then unfold into a reflections on, for example, the longing for certainty: ‘Sometimes I wish I were a fundamentalist.’ Drawing inspiration from a range of sources, such as quantum physics, Joseph Campbell, poetry, movies, scripture, and her own personal experiences, Sigloh creates indelible images, as with her story of falling out of a boat into rapids after catching a fish and stubbornly clinging to the rod. Elsewhere she conveys how a church sanctuary stripped of its religious imagery on Maundy Thursday evoked the raw emotional wounds caused by her son’s death. Questions for reflection and discussion, such as ‘How has your name influenced your life?’ offer thought-provoking prompts on each chapter’s topic. Sigloh is an honest, intelligent, and companionable guide for readers wishing to bring grace into the process of aging. Jane Sigloh validates the statement, "God made human beings, because he loves stories." Her stories and reflections are personal, but as Carl Rogers says, "that which is most personal is most universal." Jane's memories and reflections are woven into a practical theology, and they are a sound basis to finding a footing in life's second half. In this book, Jane Sigloh extends a certain graciousness to the reader. Jane Sigloh is a woman of faith who can turn a phrase into poetry. In Gracious Uncertainty, she exudes a childlike naiveté in God’s creative embrace. Sigloh rests comfortably in the divine realm of ambiguity, a place where doubt strengthens faith. Her belief in the marvels of new physics strengthens foundational science where discovery lends relevance to scripture. Sigloh’s theology above all bespeaks an elevated consciousness of awe and wonder. This book is gracious indeed, and very helpful amid all the puzzlements of getting older. It will strengthen and delight not only those of us well into the second half of life, but also the next generation—perhaps these pages will help them make sense of us! Jane Sigloh’s Gracious Uncertainty seems like a sure bet to me. She has the wisdom that comes (if lucky) “at a certain age,” but a youthful spirit that doesn't settle for received wisdom or a stock response. She investigates experience across her own lifetime to share both what she has come to understand and what remains a mystery. The Bible is her companion throughout but by no means her only inspiration. Best of all, she makes you want to keep better track of yourself. God may be beyond knowing, but what are the hints and guesses that come to us if, like her, we pay attention to our lives?