What do you write about when you don't know what to write about? Most teachers would say take something you know and expand on it. It is the advice that I give my daughter on some of her assignments in school. Thinking about that led me to a desire to blog about some of my life story. Perhaps it will seem boring to some readers. I doubt there will be any deep spiritual truth at the end. Maybe some who read can identify or at the least understand.

My story begins in the hurricane ravaged city of New Orleans. I made my arrival in the middle of the night on May 27, 1961. My comment is usually that I do not remember my last trip to Mardi Gras. The reason for the forgetfulness is that I was about 3 when we left. My father was in medical school when I was born. We then traveled several places in Louisiana and elsewhere when he was drafted into Vietnam. My "wonder years" were spent in Linden, Texas. It is there that I went to school and graduated in 1979. It was a terrific place to grow up back then. There is a whole book in the characters that passed through town in those days. I cannot say that my days there were always perfect. However, the town and the people are a huge part of who I am today. We left there in the fall of 79. I was in college when we moved. I actually needed to call to my new home for directions!

I do alot of looking back now that I am 45. Most of that reflection is in trying to decipher the who, how, and what in the person I see in the mirror every morning. I am also increasingly aware of how parents and peers go a long way in shaping personality. We cannot totally escape our experiences of childhood or adolescence. About 10 years ago I began to realize that we cannot rest there either. Sure there are some very unhealthy issues that I wrestle with still at this time. With a great deal of praying, reflection and therapy I began to understand that God's purpose for life is far larger than any wounds or scars. We are all wired to be new creations because of our Lord's role in life. He will use both blessing and bruising to make that happen. I pray that we can all learn that as we go along.

Bro. Trey