As Luke Russert traveled around the world after leaving his prominent media gig, I followed along closely on Instagram. His feed was full of beautiful pictures, but also interesting captions. He weaved together fascinating narratives and history, displaying the deep curiosity and excellent storytelling that made him such a talented journalist.

In his new book Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself, Russert describes these adventures, the motivation behind them, and the long struggle to come to terms with the death of his father Tim Russert, the legendary journalist and a devoted, loving father.

The book is laugh-out-loud funny and profoundly sad in various moments. We see Russert experience the thrill of posting popular content on social media and its failure to satisfy his deepest desires. We see his evolving relationship with—and understanding of—his mother, journalist Maureen Orth. Throughout the book, he is searching for purpose, grappling with his identity, struggling with loneliness, and trying to figure out how to move forward without leaving his dad behind.

Alongside him the whole way is his Catholic faith. It shapes many of his visits, how he understands people of various faiths, his relationship with his mother, his sense of responsibility to use the gifts he has been given, and just about everything else. Catholicism in the US can easily turn into a mere set of intellectual beliefs to which one assents, but Russert’s is a thoroughly cultural Catholicism that permeates his very being and shapes even his smallest decisions and interactions with others. It is inseparable from the man.

When he was not trying to spike the amount of digital affirmations he was getting from Instagram posts by just posting a cool picture (something he laments in the book), Russert was telling stories that were fun, fascinating, and unique. He was pursuing truth and beauty, demonstrating relentless curiosity, and inspiring the same in others. The book demonstrates again what an exceptional storyteller he is. And we can expect more of that in the future.

Much of Luke Russert’s story remains to be written. He seems determined to focus, not on his status in DC circles or meeting others’ high expectations, but on the simple but challenging task of living a good, decent, meaningful life. For those who admired his father, not simply for his excellence as a journalist, but his goodness as a man, nothing could be more encouraging to see than his beloved son pursuing that same path of goodness and integrity. There is no better way to honor his father and be who he was made to be.