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Introduction
Okay, so I'm not a speaker, in fact it's difficult for me to speak to even one person, but I enjoy sharing stories. Now,
it would be completely awesome if some day I could share these stories in front of a big group of teens at Steubie and inspire
everyone but for now it'll have to be this book and maybe no one will be inspired by it because no one will be able to follow
it due to my constant bunny trails. But if it inspires just one person it will have been worth it. For if I was the only
one on earth, God would've still sent his only son to die a torturous death to free me from sin so that I may live forever.
Should I not show the same attitude.
What Was I Thinking?!?!
Me writing a book is crazy! And I'm not sure I'll finish it but I hope I do. It being published is a-whole-nother story
but if people are meant to read it, God will find a way. And I guess if someone's reading this now, it's probably because
it's published. But I must give credit where credit is due. Although I enjoy writing, me being a writer is not an idea I'll
soon get used to. This is a God thing: without Him, I wouldn't have the courage, the patience, and a lot of other things
to write this book.
I would also like to thank Chris Padgett because the idea of this book actually came a lot from him. He says in his book
Letters from Oz, "You have endured enough of my writing for now. Maybe this scattered note will encourage the next C.S.
Lewis, or future Augustine to venture off in an area they never thought of trying." Now I'm not sure about me being
the next C.S. Lewis but his book did inspire me to "venture off in an area [I] never though of trying." Me, a writer?
HA! But like I said before, I enjoy sharing stories. And since speaking doesn't seem to be my thing at this point in my
life, I'll write. If Chris Padgett's scattered thoughts can be published, why can't mine. Thanks Chris and keep up the great
work. I love reading your "scattered notes"... probably because that's so much the way I think.
About the Book
I couldn't decide what the title should be. I knew there had to be something about the lessons of life because that is,
after all, what this book is about: the lessons others have taught me and all those lessons being added up and becoming my
ongoing testimony. Even more so than that though, there definitely had to be a lot of thanksgiving in it. Thanksgiving is,
after all, my favorite holiday. It really is, but, in the title, I'm not talking about the holiday with a big turkey and
lots of good food. Just wanted to clarify that. I'm talking about giving thanks, not just on the fourth Thursday in November
with all the great food and family, but all the time. Again, I'm not a great speaker. I'm not good at pouring my guts out
to someone by talking to them and telling them how so very much they've influenced my life. But the truth is, there's a lot
of people who have had a huge impact in my life and they deserve to hear that, so I sincerely pray that they'll be able to
read this someday and know how so very much they are appreciated by me and I'm sure by many others too.
A lot of the lessons I've learned have been taught to me by some of the most unexpected people, but maybe that's why I
learned them. This book was originally going to be called Life Lessons: From the Unexpected but I couldn't come up with enough
stories to make a book that fit that title. The following part of this chapter (the part in quotes) was written before I
changed the title but it really does pertain to the title now also.
"These lessons being learned from some of the most unexpected people is what made these life lessons more than just
life's lessons to me. Life throws us curves, we deal with them, and in the end we call it "life's lessons." This
book is not about life's lesson but rather about life lessons. Life lessons are what we learn from other's "life's lessons."
In a way, others are the teachers of the class, or the lesson. They teach us life lessons from their life's lessons. So,
life's lessons are what we ourselves learn from life, and life lessons are what we are taught about life by others. Got it?
But, then again, some life lessons stick and some don't; some we need to learn for ourselves and we can only learn them
through our own life's lessons, but others can be told to us and we somehow get it. Fore there is a difference between head
knowledge and heart knowledge. We can know it in our head and if we had an exam on it we could finish quickly and ace that
test; but if we know it in our heart, when the time comes in our life to act, we can quickly do so. It may take longer to
retrieve pure heart knowledge for the use of a test, but purely head knowledge definitely takes longer to use in real life
situations."
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