Introduction

I attend a continuing education program at California State University at Fullerton because I have always enjoyed lifelong learning through lectures and discussion. Recently I was drawn to and signed up for a writing class with the program focused on recording stories of my life to share with my family, friends or anyone who would enjoy learning about my life experiences and journey. Listening to the stories of others in class, I had an unexpected powerful experience which gave me a treasure trove of ideas for writing about my own life story. The more I listened and wrote, the more I recalled interesting and challenging life events. Slowly I began to think about experiences in my life like the Vietnam War which I had avoided thinking about and repressed. Writing about these experiences has become very therapeutic and meaningful to me as I released difficult memories and the repressed feelings. And throughout my writing my wife Vicki has always been with me as my first reader offering inspirational and inciteful input which helped me to elaborate the stories. What follows are my life stories which are listed chronologically. There are labels to the right which highlight key subjects in each story, linked to the applicable story. This blog is a work in progress.