Things I Wanted My Grandsons to Know before I Leave

We all build wisdom in our life's journeys. As we age, though, it can be difficult to determine how and when to pass that knowledge to loved ones.

Our only child, an adopted daughter, blessed us with our first grandchild, a boy, the son I never had. I was already in the winter of my life and feared I would not live long enough to share with him those things I thought were important for him to know. I decided a book, written to him, would be a perfect solution. And so I wrote "Things I Wanted My Grandson To Know Before I Leave".

A few years later, we were blessed again with a second grandson. The precedence I set with the first book left me no alternative but to try and write another to our newest gift. Thus I wrote "Things I Wanted My Grandsons To Know Before I Leave".

In my two books, I offer my two grandsons a collection of quotes, sayings, snippets, and examinations designed to inform, delight, and inspire. By sharing wisdom I have gleaned from my decades on this Earth, I challenge my grandsons to live successful, God-centered lives. Entries range from funny ("I prefer to call your grandma a 'homemaker', 'cause 'house wife' implies that there may be another wife someplace else") to sincere ("You never know when you're makin' a memory"0 to profound ("Never forget that a half truth is still a whole lie"), paving the way for deep discussion and open dialogue. Readers will resonate with the book's personal tone and cherish them as a reference guide, opening their pages again and again to revisit entries that speak to them--and ones that will speak to them in the future as they adopt and grow as people, friends, spouses, and God's children.

With a combination of gentle encouragement and serious reflection, both "Things I Wanted My Grandson To Know Before I Leave" and "Things I Wanted MY Grandsons To Know Before I Leave" offer a heartfelt t approach to living an authentic life.

As a Nebraskan who has indulged in the pleasures of a simple, honest and hardworking existence alongside my wife, Jan, I have a deep sense of human nature. I take immense pride in sharing hard-earned lessons with my grandsons as well as readers who will benefit from the unique perspective I have culled from walking my life with Jesus.