Charlie and Eleanor Thomas made a great team; they were soul mates. Blessed with a special kind of love and caring for each other, they experienced both the ups and downs of married life. Together, through many triumphs and trials, they raised their children, Bit and Stretch.

But when Eleanor dies unexpectedly in her sleep, Charlie is not prepared for the extent of his grief and the prospect of a future without the woman he loved so deeply. His grief and despair send him spiraling down toward an overwhelming depression-until he receives help in finding the healing path from two unexpected sources: his two grandchildren, Teddy and Sarah; and his wife.

"Bittersweet" follows the Thomas family and the rich tapestry of their lives as they begin to deal with the grief of losing both a wife and a mother. Filled with both bitter and sweet memories, Charlie does what it takes to keep his family together. Eleanor would be pleased.

When Willem Jansen's six children return home to attend his funeral, they must revisit their common past where they struggled to escape their father's unrelenting cruelty. But to their surprise, their father retains his grip on them, even in death. The stark lives Jansen ordained for them emerge once more: Bill, the reluctant business partner; Addie, the younger children's surrogate mother; John, the easygoing farmer whose humor masks his fear; Jennie, on her never-ending quest for her father's approval and love; Cate, the lost soul, invisible to Willem; and Danny, the rebel who learns too late that reconciliation is almost always possible. As the winds of change bring radio, motion pictures, the Depression, and World War II into the Jansen's lives, the family and the nation are altered forever. In this world of turmoil, it is the curse of their father that ultimately provides the now-grown children with their greatest and most enduring strength.

Charlie and Eleanor Thomas made a great team; they were soul mates. Blessed with a special kind of love and caring for each other, they experienced both the ups and downs of married life. Together, through many triumphs and trials, they raised their children, Bit and Stretch.

But when Eleanor dies unexpectedly in her sleep, Charlie is not prepared for the extent of his grief and the prospect of a future without the woman he loved so deeply. His grief and despair send him spiraling down toward an overwhelming depression-until he receives help in finding the healing path from two unexpected sources: his two grandchildren, Teddy and Sarah; and his wife.

"Bittersweet" follows the Thomas family and the rich tapestry of their lives as they begin to deal with the grief of losing both a wife and a mother. Filled with both bitter and sweet memories, Charlie does what it takes to keep his family together. Eleanor would be pleased.

When Willem Jansen's six children return home to attend his funeral, they must revisit their common past where they struggled to escape their father's unrelenting cruelty. But to their surprise, their father retains his grip on them, even in death. The stark lives Jansen ordained for them emerge once more: Bill, the reluctant business partner; Addie, the younger children's surrogate mother; John, the easygoing farmer whose humor masks his fear; Jennie, on her never-ending quest for her father's approval and love; Cate, the lost soul, invisible to Willem; and Danny, the rebel who learns too late that reconciliation is almost always possible. As the winds of change bring radio, motion pictures, the Depression, and World War II into the Jansen's lives, the family and the nation are altered forever. In this world of turmoil, it is the curse of their father that ultimately provides the now-grown children with their greatest and most enduring strength.