A con man betrays trust. A thief steals innocent childhood dreams. An alcoholic paves the road to addiction. If all three were your father, would you forgive him? If you were that father, would you expect or accept forgiveness? There were generations of alcoholism, violence, and codependency modeling a way of life that was adopted quite unconsciously by both a father and a daughter. The father imitated his parent's fighting, lying, and drinking. The daughter imprinted the same roles witnessed while she grew up. Eventually she married a man that was very similar to her father. In alternating stories of their separate experiences they lead you through the damaged psyche played out in their behaviors. The daughter began to relive the role of her parents with her own marriage before she eventually recognized that there was a way to break patterns, and with help, a way to learn how to make use of choice and apply it positively. Follow the father's life down into the darkness of a prison cell and his recognition of the patterns repeating themselves in his life. Through tough inner work and the God given urge to be a decent human being he redefined the negative beliefs he had grown up with. After a thirty three year separation, through an act of kindness and another of guilt, Kathy was given the information she had always wanted - to know where her father was. Kathy and her father, Ray, reunite, compare stories, and realize what an incredible parallel journey they had undergone.
About the Author: Kathy Rem grew up on the beaches and in the coastal mountains of Santa Barbara while writing down her impressions of life in any note-book, scrap of paper, or journal that was available. She participates in writing critique groups, attends workshops, retreats, and conferences on writing and spiritual philosophy. She facilitates workshops focusing on intention, conscious choices, and compassionate perception. Ray Goodenough studied human behavior extensively and became a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, a licensed Neurolinguistic Programmer, and was an Adjunct Faculty in the California Community College System. After a long career he is now retired from being a Social Worker and Therapist at an adjudicated youth group home. Ray also facilitates workshops, conducts Enneagram classes, and teaches ZaZen meditation.