At the age of 79, and after retiring twice, once after 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and again after almost 40 years as a Southern Baptist pastor, the author is currently working as a hospice chaplain. When one is young and life still looks like a rather long road with unlimited potential, it is difficult to think about one's mortality. However, when you reach your mid-seventies and beyond and look back you realize that life has flown by. Or as the title says it is gone: "In The Blink of an Eye." This is the author's personal story which begins in Brooklyn, NY in the late 30's and early 40's. It is his journey through life that takes one from Brooklyn NY to a tobacco farm in North Carolina to several Air Force bases in various parts of the United States. While stationed at McClellan AFB in California, the Vietnam war heated up and he was deployed several times to various stations in South East Asia. The story includes his personal struggles, and a crisis of faith during an almost fatal illness of one of his children. The story shares his search for spiritual peace and his call to pastoral ministry. It includes the struggle to complete an education while raising a family, and working as the pastor of a small church. The story illustrates how he pressed forward with optimism and faith to overcome many obstacles. He shares his love of flying, and outdoor activities such as SCUBA, backpacking and skiing. It is an encouraging story of choosing to press ahead with life's dreams in spite of the obstacles, and finding other ways to accomplish something when the first plan does not work. The value of family relationships and responsibility are key elements that will inspire and encourage young people to look at marriage as a life-time commitment. The author and his wife have been married for 57 years, have five children, twelve grand children and one great grand child.
About the Author: The author was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. As a boy growing up, he had several opportunities to spend summers with his grand parents on their farm in North Carolina which helped him develop a love for the outdoors. He graduated from Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, and after a couple of years working in and around New York, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Toward the end of his twenty year career he felt a call to the Gospel ministry and began a long journey towards completing his education. He has a BA in Social Sciences, with a major in Anthropology, from Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA and and a Masters of Divinity degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Mill Valley, CA. As an ordained Southern Baptist Minister, he has served several churches in the Sacramento area, retiring in 2007 from the First Baptist Church, Lincoln, CA. He is a member of Rotary International and serves as a chaplain with the U.S Civil Air Patrol. After spending a few years in retirement, he enrolled in a professional chaplain's training program at Sutter Roseville Medical Center, Roseville, CA completing 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and now is currently working as a hospice chaplain for a local hospice company in Sacramento. He and his wife Eileen have been married 57 years. They reside in Lincoln, CA. They have five children, one daughter and four sons and daughters in law that have blessed them with 12 grand children and one great grandchild.