The Ride, the Rose, and the Resurrection: A True Story about Crisis, Faith, and Survival

by David Charles Stieler

One of the happier moments in Carole Stieler's life was on that day in 2006 when her husband, author David Charles Stieler, brought home a 1990 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Flying in their vintage airplane or cruising in their classic Corvette were enjoyable adventures but experiencing life from the seat of a motorcycle offered a perspective that no other form of transportation could provide. This couple from rural Michigan had no way of knowing that the motorcycle's arrival would mark the beginning of their final journey through life as they knew it. In The Ride, the Rose, and the Resurrection, David narrates their story of how a horrific hit-and-run motorcycle crash tore life out from under this middle-class American family. He tells of both his and Carole's psychological, spiritual, and physical battles to survive their near-death experience, and he communicates the harsh realities of the financial and insurance issues related to such an accident. This memoir not only offers a true account of the battle between life and death but also shares stories of compassion and suspicion, companionship and abandonment, and religion and faith, in which forgiveness becomes the key to resurrection.

338 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2013

About the author

David Charles Stieler is a licensed private pilot, professional musician, motorcycle enthusiast, and auto repair business owner who occasionally writes human-interest articles for area newspapers. Stieler lives in rural Michigan, where he raised a family with his wife, Carole, after serving in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War