Touching the Edge

From grief to growth after a son's death In August 1995, Margaret Wurtele got the worst news any parent can receive: Philip, her twenty-two-year-old son, had just died in a climbing accident on Mount Rainier. At the time, Wurtele was absorbed in an intense midlife spiritual awakening. Suddenly she felt betrayed by the God she had only just embraced. In this beautifully written memoir, Wurtele takes us along on her spiritual journey in the aftermath of Philip's death. With a novelist's eye for detail, she conveys the dark nights of the soul and the crises of faith she experienced - as well as the love of family, friends, and community and the prayer that helped her move back from the edge of grief to find a rekindled and more meaningful spiritual life. For every woman - and for anyone faced with a personal tragedy or crisis of spirit - this heartfelt, exquisite, and wise book offers hope and comfort. Margaret Wurtele (Minneapolis, MN) is the cofounder and co-owner of Ruminator Books Press, a small independent publisher in Minnesota.
The author of a previous spiritual memoir, Taking Root, she is a former board chair of Minnesota's Episcopal House of Prayer and she and her husband own a vineyard in the Napa Valley.