As Good as She Imagined
by Roxanna Green with Jerry B. Jenkins
A book review by Wesley G. Vaughn
September 11 was the tenth anniversary of Al-Qaida’s devastating attack on our country. It was also the tenth birthday of Christina-Taylor Green, an event she never saw. She was one of six people who died January 8, 2011, when nineteen people were shot, including United States Representative Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords.
As Good as She Imagined is her story, written by her mother, Roxanna Green, with Jerry Jenkins. In it, we see the how faith shaped the life of the family. Each chapter begins with a Scripture. The story tells how every major difficulty, such as the birth of their first child, drove them to trust more deeply in God. This book is truly written for the soul.
Roxanna tells how she and her husband John, a major-league baseball scout, met and married, and about the birth of Dallas, their autistic son. He had trouble coping with change and forming relationships and was doomed to attend only special-needs schools.
Christina-Taylor was born two years later. A bright child, she went on to excel in baseball, music, art, and academics, as well as being a friend to everybody she met. Her bubbly, outgoing personality and genuine love worked a miracle in her brother. He bonded with his sister, and they became inseparable friends. He began to form relationships and adjust to changes in life. Dallas is now able to be in regular classes with ordinary students, play baseball and take Karate.
Her Christian faith and her grandmother led Christina-Taylor to develop her desire to actively help people in need, and she became interested in political action. In the Fall of 2010, she was elected to the Student Council at school. When Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords announced “Congress on Your Corner” nearby, Christina-Taylor wanted to go and meet Gabby. Her ambition was to one day go to Congress. Suzi Hileman, a close family friend, took her to the local Safeway store, where the event was scheduled. Suzi was seriously wounded in the fusillade.
Once again, it was faith in God which held up the Green family and enabled John, Roxanna and Dallas to go on. The CTG Memorial Foundation was set up to help those Christina-Taylor wanted to help.
Christina-Taylor Green’s story caught the attention of President Obama. At the “Mass for the Healing of Our Community” in Tucson, he highlighted her life, holding it up as an example to all of us, and said, “I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it.”
If we will be "the light of the world" and "the salt of the earth" where we live, study, work, shop and play, we can help our corner of the world to be "as good as she imagined."
