I heard a story once, a true story that made a deep impression on me. Although it has been a very long time, I have never forgotten it. It was about a young couple starting married life together.
One day, while the husband prepared for work, they had a disagreement and began quarreling. One thing led to another and there were harsh words spoken between them. When he was leaving, she followed him out the door, still fuming. As he went through the front gate, she could not resist calling out one last biting, spiteful remark.
Many years later, as she related this experience to a friend, tears began to flow. She told of an accident that took place that day and he never returned. Through her tears, she struggled to tell her friend, “I don’t even remember what we argued about. But for all these years, I’ve lived in hell knowing that the last words he heard from my lips was that biting, spiteful remark.”
This story has haunted me, but not just because it is so heart wrenchingly sad. The story is haunting because it is true for so many, at least in part. What relationship doesn’t have disagreements, sometimes harsh words, perhaps even leading to biting and spiteful remarks?
Perhaps something like this, in some degree, has happened to you. But probably, hopefully, at the end of the day there was a sweet reunion with tender words of apology and forgiveness.
It is also a reminder to me to always kiss and say “I love you” when we part. It would be hell to have to live with the memory that the last words spoken to each other were biting and spiteful. But, if there were a terrible accident, wouldn’t it be more comforting to know that the last words you heard from your sweetheart’s lips were “I love you?”
It was this true story that helped inspire and motivate me to write The Inheritance: A Story of Love, Legacy, and Lost Opportunities. Many readers have told me that my story has caused them to rethink the choices they have made in their relationships in order to avoid this kind of haunting outcome.

Where is it available?
Amazon.com: Both soft bound and Kindle versions are available.
Pioneer Book: 450 W Center, Provo, UT. 801-225-2665. They still have some signed copies. Call to check on availability.                                                                         
Highland Public Library: For those in the Highland/Alpine, Utah area, the Highland Public Library has a copy. Check it out, read it and decide how many copies you want to give as Christmas gifts.
Far West Books: Fresno, Ca. 800-697-8468. Call to check on availability.