In a story made for Christmas, the miraculous reunion of Willard Parker and his family began when bestselling author, Kathi Macias finished a manuscript entitled, Unexpected Christmas Hero (New Hope Publishers) and handed it over to her editor. Meanwhile, photographer and designer Michael Lê was assigned the task of finding a homeless man who fit the physical representation of the character in Macias' book.
Lê and his wife came upon a man that fit the description last Christmas in Ashville, North Carolina. They stopped the car and asked the man, named Willard Parker, if he would be willing to pose for some pictures.
"Willard said yes and was very accommodating," Le later wrote about that day. "While driving to a suitable place for the photos, Willard offered us a glimpse of his life. He lost his house a few years back. He has a daughter somewhere north (maybe Detroit?) whom he lost touch. Willard also believes in our Lord Jesus Christ.
"We had a sense of great sadness in his life, that it didn’t turned out the way he hoped for. Willard had a very humble and kind spirit. But we sensed a quiet yet powerful sparkle and desire for life. He longed to see his daughter, and we felt how hard that would be for him in his present situation."
They parted company that day, but Le remained concerned about Willard. "While designing the cover, I prayed that the one with him would be chosen (there were others being considered), so I could send him a few copies, that in turn he could send one to his daughter (assuming we locate her). I prayed that God would make this happen, that He would flood his daughter with new love for her dad after seeing him on a book cover, that she would be proud of him, that she would have a great desire to reunite with him, just like we long to reunite in love with our Father. I hoped and prayed for it to happen. It would be the greatest Christmas gift of all for Willard."
God heard his prayer. Not only was the cover chosen, but the author was so moved by the story that she too prayed that a reunion might come about because of the cover.
It did. Just after the book was released in October, it fell into the hands of a woman who knew Willard's 26-year-old daughter, Amber. The mother of Willard's two grandchildren, ages two and five, Amber immediately went online and found the cover of the book. It was indeed her dad. She wept. But where was he? How could she find him? Where does one find a homeless person who keeps moving from town to town?
Driving near Ashville North Carolina Willard's estranged wife unexpectedly spotted him walking down the sidewalk and picked him up. Willard has acute leukemia and is not in good health but kept talking about getting the family back together. He says, "When I had my picture taken for the book cover, all I wanted was for it to help me get back with my family. It worked, and I'm really grateful."
Amber is equally as excited. "I'm so happy. I can't wait to be together again," she says. "You never know how long you have on this earth and all he [my dad] wants is his family together." In spite of the reunion by phone with daughters Amber and Rebecca (Willard is now in Toledo, Ohio), both are eager to see their dad and bring this unexpected Christmas miracle to fruition.
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