The words "it's unbearable," changed my life forever. One of the strongest men I have ever known, my dad, spoke them. Suddenly, everything in our life was changing. His struggle with stage-four lung cancer was so sad and difficult. Yet, at times, it was very loving and inspirational. Being aware you might not have much longer to live changes who you are as a person. Regrets are there, but you do not hold back on the good things in life. Little things such as taking your grandkids fishing come to your mind. Big things like saying "I love you," to your adult children come out easier. Our family had good and bad, dark and light, in its history. Thank God the good and the light won out in my dad's life.
From the host of the YouTube channel that went viral—Dad, How Do I?—comes a book that’s part memoir/part inspiration/part DIY. Rob Kenney’s father left him and his seven siblings when he was fourteen years old, and the youngest had to fend for themselves. He wished that he had someone who could teach him the basics—how to tie a tie, jump-start a car, unclog a drain, use tools properly—as well as succeed in life. But he and his siblings had to figure these things out on their own. Now a father himself, Rob decided that he would help people out by providing how-to tips as well as advice—and even throw in some bad dad jokes. He started a YouTube channel for anyone looking for fatherly advice, and in the course of three months, gained a following of nearly 2.5 million subscribers, with millions of views for his how-to and inspirational videos. In this book, Rob shares his story of overcoming a difficult childhood with the strength of faith and family, and offers inspiration and hope. In addition, he provides 50 practical DYI instructions (30 of which will be unique to the book), illustrated with helpful line drawings.
Grieving Dads: To the Brink and Back is a collection of candid stories from grieving dads that were interviewed over a two year period. The book offers insight from fellow members of, in the haunting words of one dad, "this terrible, terrible club," which consists of men who have experienced the death of a child. This book is a collection of survival stories by men who have survived the worst possible loss and lived to tell the tale. They are real stories that pull no punches and are told with brutal honesty. Men that have shared their deepest and darkest moments. Moments that included thoughts of suicide, self-medication and homelessness. Some of these men have found their way back from the brink while others are still standing there, stuck in their pain. The core message of Grieving Dads is "you're not alone." It is a message that desperately needs to be delivered to grieving dads who often grieve in silence due to society's expectations. Grieving Dads: To the Brink and Back is a book that no grieving dad or anyone who cares for him should be without. As any grieving parent will tell you, there are no words to describe the hell one experiences after the death of a child. Many men have no clue how to deal with or understand the myriad emotional, mental, and physical responses experienced after the death of a child. Stories appearing in the book have been carefully selected to represent a cross-section of fathers, as well as a diverse portrayal of loss. This approach helps reflect the full spectrum of grief, from the early days of shock and trauma to the long view after living with loss for many years. Any bereaved father will find brotherhood in these pages, and will feel that someone understands them. While there is plenty of raw emotion in this book-the stories are not exercises in self-pity nor are they studies in grief. They are survival stories instead. Some are testimonies to hope. Some are gut-wrenching accounts of overwhelming despair. But all of them are real-life stories from real-life grieving dads, and they show that even if one reaches his physical and emotional bottom, it is possible (although not easy) to live through that pain and find one's way to the other side of grief. Most dads in this book found themselves in a state of physical, mental, and emotional collapse after the death of their child. As if the losses alone weren't enough to drive these men to the brink, most try to deal with their grief according to the conventional wisdom so many men are brought up with, which perversely, increases their suffering all the more. We all know the party line about how men are "supposed" to deal with loss or even disappointment: toughen up, get back to work, take it like a man, support your wife, don't talk about your emotions, don't lose control, and if you must cry-by all means do so in private.
For all you coffee and tea lovers, this book is a heartwarming love story of a family, once divided by anger, brokenness, and shame from a history of unhealthy addictions, who recovers with God's healing. These family and friends meet regularly trying to resolve their troubles over "Coffee Talk," learn later, that although coffee provides them with temporary comfort, God becomes their ultimate comfort, for every walk of their lives. Over time, these family and friends learn to reprioritize their way of living as God's healing begins to rebuild and establish new relationships in their lives. Although they are still able to enjoy their family and friends' get-togethers, having "coffee talks" "tea talks" become a fun way to share their happiness as they learn how to get free from unhealthy addictions, brokenness, or despair in their lives from God's help and the support of one another. Although the characters are fictional, the power of God and Christianity is real. May each reader be inspired to love God and enjoy coffee or tea, and to share their blessings and life's adventures with their loved ones. LEXICAL EVALUATION: "Glad to have found this book. Truly, it's a can't put down book. The author's writing is pretty standard. There were easy to discern words and readers would be able to understand the Christian Relationship entailed in this book. There isn't any Lexical contempt in her writing". --Sarah Clark Wilson (Authors Press Senior Literary Book Scout)
JUST PLAIN KATE… Sometimes, secretly, Kate wished she were pretty. Pretty enough to attract the attention of handsome Ian McAllister, the dashing single dad next door. But Kate tried to be content, raising her children solo and filling in as part-time mom to Ian's lonely little boy. So it was a bolt from the blue—a dream come true—when Ian proposed, promising Kate anything if she'd be his wife. Her heart soared down the aisle—only to plummet with afterthoughts. Did Ian really want her? Or merely a family for his son? Was she headed for heartbreak…or heaven in Ian's embrace?
His daughter needs her mother. And Gavin Gray will do anything for Tory—even reunite with the woman who abandoned them. That's the only reason they've moved to Squam Lake, his ex-wife's last known address. Now it's a waiting game. That game has suddenly gotten more complicated. Because of Allison Bennett, the next-door neighbor he never expected to fall in love with. Just as their future looks promising, his ex-wife returns with a past that haunts them all.
From the author of the classic Mom’s House, Dad’s House, the essential guide for kids on how to stay strong and succeed in life when parents separate, divorce, or get married again. Isolina Ricci’s Mom’s House, Dad’s House has been the gold standard for inspiring and supporting divorcing and remarrying parents for more than twenty-five years. With her new book, Dr. Isa adapts her time-tested advice on maneuvering the emotional, logistical, and legal realities of separation, divorce, and stepfamilies to speak directly to children. Alongside practical ways to cope with big changes she offers older children and their families key resiliency tools that kids can use now and the rest of their lives. Kids and families are encouraged to believe in themselves, to take heart, and to plan for their lives ahead. Mom’s House, Dad’s House for Kids is packed with practical tips, frank answers, easy-to-use lists, “train your brain” ideas, reproducible worksheets, and things to try when words just won’t come out right. Kids will learn how to: · Deal with parents living apart, schedules, and dueling house rules · Settle comfortably in one home or two · Stay out of the “miserable middle” when parents fight · Manage stress, guilt, change, fear, and other feelings · Stay connected with parents, relatives, and the “right” friends · Appreciate the gifts (and deal with the gripes) of their new version of family · Feel better FAST! Kids can’t get their parents back together, but they can help themselves get stronger and go on to succeed in life. This book shows them how.
A personal story of one married Roman Catholic male's attempt to become a priest. This is the story of Ron Eberley's so-far futile effort to become a married priest. It is also a clear account of the chequered history and tortuous theology of mandatory celibacy.
