As the Leaves Kiss the Stream

Author: Terry Barnes
Genre: Inspirational Fiction

A father takes his troubled seventeen-year-old daughter on an autumn fly fishing trip to the Ozarks with the hope of restoring her back to the family. Yet that hope appeared impossible amid their deep conflict and strife.

But as they camped and fished, the Ozarks began to speak to their hearts, and on one cool October morning as they fly fished beside the cold waters of the pure stream, everything forever changed.

"For the tears of a father … are as the tears of God … that fall silently and caress the one beloved, much as the autumn leaves that gently fall and kiss the stream."

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Reviewer: Mary Hemlow

Anyone who has ever been responsible for a teen will appreciate the scenario in this novella. A missionary father who has been forced to return from the field in Kenya because of his errant daughter, makes an attempt to reconnect with her through their mutual enjoyment of fly fishing. It's difficult not to admire the father's patience and tenacity in the face of his daughter's disrespect. The comparison between his thoughts about what he wants to say to his daughter and what he actually does say adds a richness to his character. A smoothly depicted account, it was difficult to put down due to my curiosity as to whether the relationship would be restored. A well told story of sacrificial love, would recommend to readers in relationship with teens or to anyone who has felt unloved.

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