Saving Papa's Tales

Papa and his son Richard have little time left to reconcile their differences. Placed in a nursing home against his will, 88-year-old Papa is angry and confused. Richard is angry too, angry with Papa.

Trapped in an eldercare system that renders him frustrated and powerless, Papa needs Richard's help to have any chance of being liberated from the nursing home. Richard struggles with unresolved anger toward a father who always placed logic above emotional connections. Each of them mistrusts the other.

Reluctantly, Richard ¿nds himself drawn into Papa's legal, medical and, above all, emotional drama. At ¿rst Richard is questioning himself when he says, "I'm not sure what I can do. Perhaps it's fate or divine justice or something. Maybe he needs to be in a nursing home. I don't know."

Richard's dog, Baby, does know. She knows how to love both of them at the same time. As if able to travel through a portal between feelings and logic, Baby shows them the power of unconditional love. Father and son start collaborating on a book. Their writing project gives them something to focus on while waiting for Papa's psychological exam.

Despite family dysfunctions that included child abuse, alcohol abuse, drug abuse and animal cruelty, Papa, Richard and Baby managed to complete their story. Be assured that Baby was never mistreated, or even asked to type.

Taking the reader into the heart of a dilemma faced by a generation of mid-lifers and their aging parents, Papa's Tales is a story of human redemption told with dignity and compassion.