9Unlike many less fortunate, I was raised by both parents in a Christian faith-based home. As a small child, I worshiped my father. To me, he was the image of perfection. But as I grew, I deeply questioned him because of fearful and severe discipline he levied upon us children for our least fault. In my mid-forties, I finally cut him off from my love until the day he suddenly died. Then, ten years beyond my father's decease, a journey lay most imperatively on me! I still desperately needed to understand, to forgive and possibly love again the only man I could ever call "Father". He was the origin of my being, and with great desire I longed for peace and union with him. To understand what made my father so fearfully harsh, I needed to hear from those who knew him best when he was young. Now that he was gone, I could ask the hard questions. This book is the account of that journey. Rita and her husband Dale have been married fifty-six years and reside in eastern Washington state and have traveled their lifetime in ministry. She is a graduate of Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington with her B.A. in Early Childhood Education. "In Search Of My Father" is her first book. She is presently completing her second, "Whatever Happened To The Family?"... the journey of both of her parents and of her nine siblings.