The best memoirs tell a story that is specific and individual and yet somehow transcends particularity. Aching Joy tells a story of one man’s pain and growth in the years following his son’s diagnosis with autism, and at the same time, this book invites me into reflection about my own experience with pain, denial, hope, and healing. As this father begins to let go of fear and open his heart up to trust, I, too, am invited to explore all the ways I have shut myself off from the ache, and the joy, of full life.