Let me repackage my thoughts then, because I consider myself fortunate to be in that category of people.
I could copy + paste entire paragraphs from the OP, as it parallels my own experience and I expect will be the experience of many more people as Buddhism spreads West. Like you, I found Buddhism to instantly feel “right”, until encountering the counter-culture ‘snag’ of reincarnation teaching. I was disappointed at the time to confirm that traditional Buddhists do in fact teach this…
…and like you, I put that aspect of Buddhism on the backburner for a time. I didn’t even consciously decide to revisit the idea of rebirth but by chance recently after dwelling on the views presented in DN1 for some time, I can’t explain why concisely, a lightbulb turned on. At the very least, I am currently fully convinced that it is impossible for me to rule out rebirth, even if I cannot confirm from personal experience. At the end of the day, it’s no more absurd than any of the other ideas regarding existence, and if assumed (on ‘faith’ for now) adds wholesale motivation to daily practice.