Epiphany

Richard Lee may be gone, but he's not yet departed. In this captivating Christmas novella, as the unseen observer of the family events that follow his own death, Richard watches his children return to their hometown to attend his funeral, settle the estate . . . and come to terms not only with their father's passing, but with the disappointing direction each of their lives has taken. There is Jonathan, the starving artist whose talent languishes beneath a burden of failure. David, the family success story: practical, capable, worldly-wise . . . and cynical to the bitter bone, dying inside. And Ruth, a small-town girl who left for the big city in search of fulfillment she has yet to find. Powerless to act, Richard can do nothing to help his children resolve their struggles. He can only watch as pain and truth surface in each of their lives. But as secrets and surprises are revealed, the depths of a departed father's love for his children and those around him emerges with poignant and redemptive clarity. And for Richard's loved ones, healing at long last begins. Being dead isn't like what Richard Lee had expected. For instance, he's able to eavesdrop on the grown-up children he's left behind. Able to watch as his daughter and two sons absorb the news of his death --- and able to absorb, in turn, some things about their lives that they had kept from him. Similar in tone to It's a Wonderful Life and Touched by an Angel, Epiphany is a captivating Christmas novella. Richard, as the unseen observer of the family events that follow his own death, watches as his children return to their hometown to attend his funeral, settle the estate . . . and come to terms not only with their father's passing, but with the disappointing direction each of their lives has taken. Being dead has disadvantages, Richard discovers---one in particular being his powerlessness to help his children resolve their struggles. But as secrets and surprises are revealed---why Richard was such an Elvis fan, for instance---healing at long last begins for his loved ones. Rolling together fantasy and storytelling with pathos, humor, and frank glimpses of life, Epiphany offers no neatly tied, syrupy endings. Rather, it gently reveals the things that make for a truly heartwarming, reaffirming, happy Christmas ending---simple, biblical values that draw families everywhere together in celebration of the birth of Christ.


Genre: Inspirational