Outskirts Press, INC.

Thanks to the stories in this book, the window shade has rolled all the way up into itself. My view is clear and the corner of my heart he lives in is healed.

What is a daughter to do about a father that’s so hard to love? It takes her until mid-life to acknowledge her harsh ambivalence, which feels like an albatross around her neck. She really wants things to be better, but realizes it’s up to her, because it’s unlikely he’s going to change. So she tosses out all the old journals with the cathartic rants judging him and opens up a new chapter, focusing on humorous family reunion stories for her grandchildren. It’s all there, a prickly predictable great grandpa, and the opportunity to poke fun at his absurd behavior instead of being vexed by it. When all is written, she looks back and realizes she’s made an incredible journey from ambivalence to acceptance, and that the process had led to introspection and healing. When he passed away she was filled with grace and peace and ready to say goodbye.