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Sky Lantern

The Story of a Father's Love for His Children and the Healing Power of the Smallest Act of Kindness

About The Book

A compassionate memoir about a father’s relationship with his children, the healing power of a small act of kindness, and the proof that love is everlasting.

Love you, Dad. Miss you so much. Steph.

A brokenhearted daughter scribbled those words on a sky lantern before sending it off to her father in heaven who had passed away. Halfway across the country, Steph’s lantern landed in Matt Mikalatos’s yard.

As a father of three daughters, Matt could not let that heart-wrenching note unanswered, so he posted an open letter to her on his blog, which went viral overnight. Little did he know how that small act of kindness would lead him to the real Steph and change his family’s life in remarkable ways.

A poignant and lyrical account of the beauty and wonder found in domestic life, Sky Lantern shows how the miraculous events that followed Matt finding the sky lantern in his yard—and the widespread and lasting impact his letter had—prove that the bond between a parent and their child can last forever.

About The Author

Photograph © Matt Mikalatos

Matt Mikalatos works for a non-profit dedicated to helping people live better, fuller lives. He has done non-profit work all over the world, and he and his family lived in Asia for several years. He currently lives in the Portland, Oregon area with his wife and three daughters.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Howard Books (November 17, 2015)
  • Length: 240 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781501123504

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Raves and Reviews

“Mikalatos exquisitely describes the powerful bond he shares with his three daughters in Sky Lantern. A lovely, beautiful book that reinforces the importance of exploring our own invisible thread connections, and how one simple act of kindness—one small gesture of caring—can change the lives of others forever.”

– Laura Schroff, #1 New York Times bestselling author, An Invisible Thread

"Sky Lantern reminds us that the smallest flame can brighten the deepest gloom. I loved it! It's easy these days to feel disconnected from other people because we all have our problems. But when a sky lantern, in whatever form, appears to us with its message of need, this book tells us what to do: Reach out, give, love."

– Homer Hickam, #1 New York Times Best-selling Author of Rocket Boys and Carrying Albert Home

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