My Daddy's Promise

One night in Durham, North Carolina, Carl W. Kenney II received a phone call that forced a decision. A neighbor found his father naked on the bathroom floor. If not for the neighborhood dropping by to check on his daddy, he would have died. It wasn't the first time. It was difficult for his daddy to manage life alone.Despite being a minister, Carl wasn't prepared to address the challenges he faced when he returned home to become his father's caregiver. He felt failure when his daddy's health declined. He felt anger when other family members did little to help carry the load. Mingled with the good days were days consumed with sadness, disgust, regret, fear and stress. Making the decision to go home was the hardest decision he ever made. Going home was also the best experience of his life. My Daddy's Promise is a moving mixture of theology, self-care and memoir, revealing the untold experience of a black man's love for his father. Carl helps us understand caregiving with deeper clarity from the point of view of both minister and caregiver. Ultimately, he wants us to understand that caregiving is not only about loss - it's also a celebration of lessons learned and promises kept.