Natalie Sist Talks Live With Author Joe McQuillen

S:6 E:228 Joe McQuillen continues to share his difficult journey in this father-and-son tale, We’re Not Done Yet, Pop: My Lessons from the Other Side, while simultaneously finding in-roads to connection and thriving on this ability to visit with his son on the other side at various ‘thin places.’

With Chris at his side, Joe takes us from his beloved son’s grave site where a trusted friend might sometimes leave an empty Landshark bottle to his bedroom (now Joe’s office) in Winnetka, Illinois which still smells of sage and teen sweat, to the Florida Gulf beaches at night where Joe has found hope and affirmation of his son’s everlasting love through shared dialogues, to In Balance Ranch Academy in Arizona, where Chris was a shining star and a leader for troubled youth, and where he also found healing and the love of an American paint horse.

Through their travels and visits to thin places, we learn about both Joe and his son. We learn that Christopher struggled while at a military school for a year, and that Joe recognized this and pulled him out. We learn that Joe is a devoted member of AA and that his son’s struggles (and the awareness that he suffered) continue to pain him, even from the other side, but these struggles also continue to teach him how to be a better man and a better dad.

Joe and Chris’s story, which is told as a mixture of narrative, italicized visits with Chris from the other side, input and conversations with respected psychic mediums, a thread of music floating throughout, is relatable to anyone who has experienced loss or even anyone who has imagined it. Their words—father and son—speak directly to readers, providing courage, strength, hope, and connectivity all delivered with a healthy dose of McQuillen humor.