Stories from the life of a Kansas farm kid turned family physician, spanning early memories to mid-life experiences, calling out the importance of accepting that one's parents did the best they could with what they'd been given. Funny, candid, sometimes painful, and poignant stories illustrate the importance of facing life on life's terms. We are all wounded, some more than others. Some of us, the walking wounded, become parents. The goal is to make the world a better place for future generations. This is achieved, in part, by doing the best one can with what one has been given. It also requires intentional effort to make positive changes. Growing up in a farm family of seven children, the third child and oldest son, taking on significant responsibility at a young age, a brush with death due to poor judgment, overcoming perfectionism and resentment, and the shame of compulsive sinful behavior; these are some of the narratives that take the reader along a journey that encompasses coping with fear, rejection, self-doubt, worry, and pride, through adolescence and early adulthood. God sends angels in human appearance when we need them. With the help of living, breathing angels, I learned about God's great Ocean of Mercy and His desire to bathe me in it. Forgiveness is the pathway to healing and a key to happiness.
