The Reunion by Dan Walsh, c2012

Coming alongside, a life lived well.
Reconciliation. Lives restored into right relationship.

His past comes calling.
In helping others, we help ourselves. A life redeemed. A life on hold. Choices. Will we open our hearts to heal misconceptions? 

Timing!! How important we are in another person's life. Aaron Miller is more than a groundskeeper and handyman. He is valuable beyond what he ever dreams. His prior life, his experiences, his knowing. So much in a life that is transferable by compassion, understanding, listening. Do we know or recognize how much we have to give to another? Just by our presence?


It is a sleepy morning in Florida, and Aaron has ten minutes before his shift begins. He is having his morning quiet time and receives a page from his employer asking if he would start a few minutes early. But... Aaron is always "just-on-time."

Intercepting Lot 31, his kindness opens up hope. Beginning his daily chores, his repairs halt further destruction... of a life. Boards aren't all that are rotting at Lot 28. Despair lives there.

I once was lost but now am found. Was blind, but now, I see. --Amazing Grace, John Newton (1725-1807) Last Stanza anon., possibly added version by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come;

'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far

and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease,

I shall possess within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine;

But God, who call'd me here below,

Will be forever mine.

When we've been here ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we've first begun.

~*~

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me....

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

Everything lost can be found.

Aaron Miller knows a thing or two about loss. He's lost love. Dignity. Second, and even third, chances. Once honored for his heroism, he now lives in near obscurity, working as a handyman in a humble trailer park.

   But God is a master at finding and redeeming the lost things of life. Unbeknownst to Aaron, someone is searching for him.

   With deep insight into the human, consummate storyteller Dan Walsh gently weaves a tale of a life spent in the shadows but meant for the light. Through tense scenes of war and tender moments of romance, The Reunion will make you believe that everyone can get a second chance at life and love.


Thank you to Baker Publishing Blog Tour for inviting me to come along for The Reunion. I received a print copy of this book in exchange for a review in my own words. Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

 

About the Author
Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of several books, including The Unfinished Gift, The Deepest Waters, and The Discovery. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching his next novel. Coming Soon from Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley, The Dance. Meet Dan Walsh at www.DanWalshBooks.com. Learn more interesting facts, read Dan's blog, and so much more.

And this just in!!

For the next week, starting today and running until next Monday, September 17^th, Dan Walsh is celebrating the release of his new novel, The Reunion, with a 10-book giveaway contest! Five winners will each receive a signed copy of The Reunion, as well as his third novel, The Deepest Waters. (He’s  including this book because it was named a finalist for an ACFW Carol Award for book-of-the-year.) Click on the link below to see how easily you can enter the contest!

http://danwalshbooks.com/the-reunion-book-giveaway-contest/

Heartwarming Tales of Love and Loss, The Unfinished Gift, and The Homecoming.

    The Unfinished Gift. Patrick Collins is seven years old, and on his Christmas list are only three items. He wants the army to find his father. He wants to leave his grandfather's house. And, for reasons even he doesn't understand, he wants the soldier that's tucked away in his grandfather's attic. Set at Christmastime in 1943, The Unfinished Gift tells in an engaging, simple style the story of a family, and reminds us of the surprising things that affect powerful change in our hearts--like a young boy's prayers, a shoebox full of love letters, and even an old wooden soldier, long forgotten. This nostalgic story of forgiveness will engage readers everywhere.
 

   

    The Homecoming. No sooner is Shawn Collins home from the fighting in Europe than he's called upon to serve his country as a war hero on a USO bond tour. Others might jump at the chance to travel all around the country with attractive Hollywood starlets. But not Shawn. He just wants to stay home with his son Patrick, his aging father and to grieve the loss of his wife in private. When Shawn asks Katherine Townsend, Patrick's former social worker, to be Patrick's nanny while he's on the road, he has no idea how this decision will impact his life. Could it be the key to his future happiness and the mending of his heart? Or will the war once again threaten his chances for a new start?

  

   The Deepest Waters skillfully tells an epic story through an intimate focus on two lost lovers. Inspired by real events, this moving novel will capture the hearts of all who dive into its pages.
What began as a fairytale honeymoon in 1857 for John and Laura Foster aboard the steamship SS Vandervere becomes a nightmare when a hurricane causes their ship to sink into the murky depths of the Atlantic. Laura finds herself with the other women and children aboard a sailing ship while John and a hundred other men drift on the open sea on anything they could grab as the Vandervere went down. Suspecting her John is gone but still daring to hope for a miracle, Laura must face the possibility of life alone--and meeting her new in-laws without their son if she ever reaches New York.
Readers will be holding their breath as they sail through this emotional and honest story of hope, faith, and love in the face of uncertainty.





    Remembering Christmas. Rick Denton lives his life on his terms. He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls on Thanksgiving weekend begging him to come home after his stepfather has a stroke, Rick is more than a little reluctant. He's never liked Art and resents the man's presence in his life, despite the fact that his own father abandoned the family when Rick was just twelve. When what was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and running off the homeless man who keep hanging about, Rick's attitude sours even more.
Still, slowly but surely, the little bookstore and its quirky patrons--as well as the lovely young woman who works at his side each day--work their magic on him, revealing to Rick the truth about his family, his own life, and the true meaning of Christmas. With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story will have readers remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.




   Laced with suspense and intrigue, The Discovery is a richly woven novel that explores the incredible sacrifices that must be made to forge the love of a lifetime.
Gerard Warner was not only a literary giant whose suspense novels sold in the millions, he was also a man devoted to his family, especially his wife of nearly 60 years. When he dies he leaves his Charleston estate to his grandson, Michael, an aspiring writer himself. Michael settles in to write his own first novel and discovers an unpublished manuscript his grandfather had written, something he'd kept hidden from everyone but clearly intended Michael to find. Michael begins to read an exciting tale about Nazi spies and sabotage, but something about this story is different from all of Gerard Warner's other books. It's actually a love story. As Michael delves deeper into the story he discovers something that has the power to change not only his future but his past as well.





   The Dance ~ Book 1 in the Restoration Series. New series following the Anderson family through their family troubles, love and heartbreak, and the legacy the family will leave.
Jim Anderson is a successful businessman, and his wife, Marilyn, is the perfect wife. And why wouldn't she be? He gives her everything she needs. That's why Jim never expected to come home one day and find Marilyn gone.
After 27 years of marriage, Marilyn has had enough of feeling unloved and neglected. She wants to experience some measure of happiness before she's too old to enjoy it, even signing up for dance lessons, something Jim would never do. What will it take for Jim to finally become the man Marilyn needs him to be?
Combining the literary talents of bestselling author Dan Walsh and the relationship expertise of bestselling author Gary Smalley, The Dance is the romantic first novel in The Restoration Series. Readers will get caught up in these flawed but earnest characters as they rediscover genuine love and start a transformation that will ultimately affect their whole family.