I'm eighty-eight, and I am awestruck that I have written a book (my first ever)

My wife Joyce died in 2015. For a time, grief and loneliness were my companions. I soon settled down, doing old-folks things like crossword puzzles, watching TV, etc. Some of my grandkids asked me what it was like being a kid during the Great Depression and World War II. Then one day, my friend Charlie gave me a packet of four one-hundred-page notebook pads. He said, "Maybe you can use these." Coincidence? So with pencil in hand, I started writing my story about my favorite subject-me

Many memories were rekindled, and suddenly, I had a new hobby. A word became a sentence, a sentence, a paragraph or a chapter. How far could I go with this? Night after night, the stories flowed through my mind. Quiet, tearful nights became commonplace.

One night, I awoke with tears in my eyes and a word in my heart-redemption. That morning, I calculated how many days from my birth, January 2, 1930, to my rebirth, October 4, 1980. It was 18,533 days. Now my story had a working title-18,533 Days to Eternity.

As I read my story, I realized that I was a normal, hardworking person with a vision, like you. However, unlike most of you, I was an impulsive, addicted, egotistical, train wreck. But God had a plan for my life. He wanted to lead me from my egocentric mind to the desire of his love, my heart. It was only eighteen inches.

Hope

Never give up