Pastor Tabatha Whitten recently released her latest book, “D.A.D.S: Daddy and Daughter Stories.” A graduate of Jack Yates High School, the author spent 25 years as a school guidance counselor in the Aldine Independent School District (AISD). After retiring, she went to the Seminary School and became an ordained minister. Eventually, she established her own church in the 5th Ward, Remnant Fellowship Church, and initiated many community- based ministries to serve my 5th Ward community.
When detailing as to why she wrote the book, Pastor Whitten gave a personalized statement representing her childhood,
“I wrote this book to honor my father whom I didn’t know as a child. After I buried both my mother and my only sister, the only family to have had left was my estranged father. As an adult woman in my 50’s seeking to establish a relationship with my biological father was no easy task,” she said. “Not only because of his medical conditions, but more importantly because we had never had a father/daughter relationship before. I wrote this book to chronicle our journey of forgiveness, understanding, and love. The process of healing the trauma of his absence and learning to love despite it.
She added,
“As we approach Mother’s and Father’s Day, it is my hope and prayer that those relationships will experience the same love, joy, and healing that my dad and I were able to experience during the last seven years of his life.
Though her father’s passing was recent in the latter half of 2022, Pastor Whitten described the book-writing process as “cathartic” while giving her “grief a divine purpose.”
The multifaceted creative leads with a heartfelt message behind the importance of relationship between a father and his daughter(s) saying,
“I trust in God so much, that I am willing to bare my soul and be completely transparent about a journey that is so difficult in many ways, to help others who may also be struggling with Daddy Issues. Yes, it is a thing. But so is Healing. So is Forgiveness. So is Grace. Second chances are a blessing, and I received mine with open arms.”
Author Whitten concluded, “Ultimately, these stories are intended to foster hope that fractured relationships can be restored between daddies and their daughters.”
This powerful new book is available now on Amazon, Applebooks, and www.pastortab.org.
