''The Book of Dad''

"Quotes for a Lifetime of Wisdom"

My motivation for this collaboration is trying to be the best parent I possibly can. Meeting this end has been challenging because of the professions I have been evolved with, the ages of my children and frankly my inability to consistently calmly get them to understand what I want to tell them. Dont get me wrong, the difficulty doesnt stem from their deficiencies, rather mine.

I spent exactly 24 years and one month in the United States Air Force. I have been retired for about six years and have been a teacher (still teach college courses), and a councilor at a university. Currently, I am in the aviation management profession. Over the years I have been married twice and fathered three children. My daughter, Erica, 27 born in Columbus Mississippi; my oldest son Ulon "Marcus", 19 at Terrejon Air Base near Madrid, Spain; and my youngest son Robert A. "Drew" in Warner Robins, Georgia. The love I have for these three is unlike any other love I have for anyone else.

I can remember what I believed was a near death experience. As far as I know I may have died; all I remember is that I had a severe sinus problem and could not breathe. While sleeping I stopped breathing. I remember being surrounded and subdued by many, I could not move, somehow I knew that there was a higher power over me, and that I was not dreaming. After a bit I heard this calming but firm voice tell me to always be good to your children. Once the voice spoke to me, the people who were holding me down let me go, and then I suddenly jumped up. I still had major difficulty breathing, at any rate that was what I considered my calling at the time. Needless to say, I havent always met with that mandate.

Through out my career during and after the military, I have spent more time than I care to admit away from my family. Without getting into specifics, I have been relegated to minimal communication with them. To compensate for my lack of presence, I started sending them daily text messages. I did this for the better part of a year. Then one day I look at the work I did and decided to publish these quotes into a memoir that may serve to help others in the same predicament.

These quotes are encouraged by my life experiences and observation of the experiences and situations my children are currently involved in. I have written hundreds however, this book will only list 200 of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I was inspired to write them.