I am not an accomplished writer, nor did I want to consult one. I want this book to reflect my personality, and my life's adventures in my own style. Some of the stories and circumstances that I will be writing about in this book are true, while others are greatly exaggerated; and some of them are completely fictitious. I will leave it up to each person's imagination, as to which they want to believe. The true stories are from the way that I remember them; however, other people may remember them differently. Some of the material will be original, while some will be borrowed. If I borrowed something from you, please consider it a compliment; as it must have impressed me, or I would not have borrowed it.
It is not my intention that this book portray me, or anyone else, as a saint because we all know that we are not. We also know that life is not always harmonious between family members and / or friends; however, I want to write this book so that I can be proud for my young grandchildren to read it. It is my sincere hope that they can get a glimpse of what life was like in the "good ole days". It is my wish to honor my family and my old friends, as well as my new friends. It is also my desire for all my friends to learn more about who I am, and where I came from.
Try to imagine the entire world of people as one great big building, with one window for each person; no two people can look out of the same window. Now, imagine The Truth as a huge tree, planted in front of the building. No two windows (so no two people) have exactly the same view of the tree. Windows that are close to each other may see very similar parts of the tree, with similar angles, lights, and shadows; but there will be subtle differences. And the views from windows that are far apart will be so different that it seems the people must be looking at two entirely different trees. Add to this the fact that all kinds of things can affect people's vision, as they look out of their windows. All in all, very few people (if any) ever see the whole tree, exactly as it is; but most people have trouble imagining anything other than what they see. The point is, the tree doesn't change, or move; yet every person sees something different, and too often, each thinks that his view is the only right one. No one ever knows, for sure, exactly what the tree looks like from other windows; the only way, to even try, to guess is for other people to describe, as best they can, what the tree looks like to them.
If I can put just one smile on the face of each person who reads this book, I will consider it a success, and I will be very pleased.
This book is dedicated to Margaret, to all my children, to all my grandchildren, and to the rest of my family, friends, and co-workers, who make every one of my days important.
