The day after Christmas and the peace that remains.

We had a  fun Christmas, the four of us, playing games in the morning and reading my wife's diary of the first days of my daughter's birth and adventures in our household.

The day after she was baptized at four months, the landlord showed up at our doorstep and gave us a 30 day notice to vacate as the house was going to be demolished to make way for a new apartment building project.

Yeah, 25 years a memories are beyond that, stretching faith beyond what seems bearable.

But it was a reminder we were blessed. Our oldest son found employment suitable to his special needs and my daughter is content and happy in her apartment and her steady job.

The stories of my life at times would make for a good fiction series, but no, God did masterful weaving to bring me to the gateway of 2026 and the launching of the first two books of the Odyssey of Hope series.

This year marked the Jubilee of Hope, declared by the late Pope Francis. That declaration had no small part in the creation of the Odyssey of Hope..

I had to do much discernment and understanding of the journey God led me on for 70 years, but as my late Aunt Helen would say, about writing a book. "Why not!"

Oh, if it had been as easy as all that. In the creative mess of my life, God created what I believe is a testament to His love for us and the hope He wants to give us.

I am putting the finishing touches on the first book of the series, Rising Beyond Hope, Crisis of Faith, and will be releasing it in early 2026.

If all goes according to plan, the second book, Unstoppable Hope, Persevering Faith, will come out next fall.

There is a new author's voice, and I'm also planning to release these books as audiobooks.

My fiction book, A Quest for Freedom, is available on Amazon in all three formats, and the print version is also available on Book Baby Bookshop.

 https://store.bookbaby.com/book/a-quest-for-freedom 

Be sure to sign up for my newsletter on my website and continue to follow me for further updates.

Wishing you and yours a Happy and Blessed New Year!