You Are Not an Accident. That’s the title of the second chapter of Rick Warren’s, The Purpose Driven Life, and it grabbed my attention immediately. In this chapter, Warren explains that everything about us was planned by God: from where and when we were born to the events, good and bad, that occur in our lives, as well as our talents, flaws and personalities. It was all planned for a purpose – to serve God.
Blessed beyond belief is how I would describe my childhood years. No, I didn’t earn huge scholarships or achieve fame through my talents, but I did grow up in an extremely nurturing and supportive environment that helped me develop my personality. My parents encouraged me to push myself beyond the expectations of others, and the community that surrounded me encouraged and supported me.
I was born, raised, baptized and married in the small Central Nebraska town of Loup City. After high school, I attended the University of Nebraska – first, the Lincoln campus, and later, the Kearney campus. Four years later, I became an English teacher and golf coach at Scotus Central Catholic in Columbus, NE.
During my freshman year of college, I met Lynda, but four and a half years passed between our first and second dates. We sped things up from there, and were married a year and a half later. This took me to North Carolina, where Lynda was attending physician assistant school. While in North Carolina, I earned a graduate degree from North Carolina State University, bought my first house, started a NASCAR retail business and twice became a father.
I drove to North Carolina by myself, with almost all of my possessions in a Ford Tempo, and returned to Nebraska seven and a half years later with a small family and a large moving truck. In the more than 20 years since, I started a recruiting business that still pays the bills, and with the help of my wife of more than 28 years, I raised two successful children – a son nearing the end of medical school and a daughter working as a mechanical engineer. Also important parts of the family are a daughter-in-law who is a high school teacher and volleyball coach, and a granddaughter who can get her grandpa to do almost anything for her.
All of that – plus the failures, disappointments and struggles I didn’t mention – has brought me to where I am today, exactly where I am supposed to be, and I’m eager to see what’s next.
