This book... powerful, tender, profound, sweet, moving and life-changing.
Author Christine T. Hall has a wonderfully warm and poetic way of writing, her words painting pictures, creating connections and stirring emotions. In
The Song of My Father the reader is easily drawn into this incredible book from the very first page. Even though I didn't intend to, I ended up reading it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.
"Things will work out. Good will come from this."
These words that were repeated over and over in the book have now been woven into my own life "song". Sure, they are words I've heard before, words I've believed to some degree in different stages in my life, but Hall presents this mantra in a way that creates a desire in the reader to believe a little harder and hope a little stronger.
From the back of the book:
As a child, Chris Hall heard her father repeat these words so often they became the song of his life. Even through difficult circumstances, his optimism and faith kept her family going.
But as an adult, Christ faced something so horrific she couldn't imagine any good every coming from her experience, and she questioned if her father's song was always true. This is the inspiring story of finding hope in the midst of trials and suffering.
As Chris says, "Each of us, at some time in our lives, will experience loss, heartache, and a grief that seems to test us to our limits. If we choose to live and walk by faith . . . we eventually will come to a place of acceptance and finally, after much work, to a place of believing."
The book begins with the author sharing an experience at the hospital where where she is visiting her father who suffered a heart attack followed by a stroke. As the doors of the elevator open on his floor she hears an urgent message over the loudspeaker, "Code blue--ICU!" Within minutes she learns that the code blue alert is for her father. Over the next few days Hall sits by her father's side, holding his hand, talking to him, sharing her thoughts and feelings, reminiscing, and thanking him for the lessons he taught her. These lessons he taught, were the theme of his life, the basis for everything he did. In turn, these lessons became and still are a "guide and blessing" to the author in her life.
In Part I: Music Lessons, Hall shares experiences and events that reinforce her father's song and we learn that not only did her father live the words he taught, his constant, unwavering beliefs touched the lives of everyone around him.
In Part Two, “Learning to Sing” the author shares a personal experience that plunges her into a state of such despair she believes there is no possible way good could come from it. Hall's honest, heartfelt and hopeful delivery, as she heals and learns about the power of forgiveness, love and understanding, not only will touch the reader's heart, but allow for personal introspection and evaluation. Through her own agony and physical pain Hall experiences small but miraculous moments, proving that her father's song holds fast and true.
In Part Three, “The Song of Believing,” Hall teaches that “Each of us, at some time in our lives, will experience loss, heartache, and a grief that seems to test us to our limits. If we choose to live and walk by faith . . . we eventually come to a place of acceptance and finally, after much work, to a place of believing.”
Within these pages the reader will find passages that will resonate and ring true and inspire.
Christine T. Hall's The Song of My Father is published by Cedar Fort. It is an important addition for any home library and a perfect gift to give, especially this Father's Day.
To purchase online, go to:
AMAZON
HERE
Deseret Book
HERE
Barnes and Noble -
HERE
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