When you're a reporter for a small daily newspaper, you wind up writing a wide variety of stories. There are meetings, trials, fires, accidents, police blotter items, obituaries and many more. But my favorite one of all is a feature story, an article that focuses on person and what makes him or her special.
Although I have been writing features for more than 40 years, I still get nervous when one appears in the paper. I try to present the person's story in the best possible light, but will the person see it that way?
This anxiety was compounded a while ago when I wrote a story about Andy Moyer and his outstanding accomplishments as both a student and a sensei (teacher) of martial arts for more than 40 years. My concern stemmed from the fact that I have been a Goju-Ryu Karate student of his for more than 33 years. Whatever I know or hope to know about karate is the result of his sharing his vast knowledge with me and his other students. I wanted to do my best.
Fortunately, my teacher liked the story. But as I reflected on what I was thinking while I was writing the story and worrying about how he would like it, I thought about another story that I am still in the process of writing - my life story.
Everything I have I owe to God. He is the one who gifted me with a great family, my mother and dad, brothers Phil and Dave, sister Mary Jo and their spouses, niece Claire, nephews Christian and Greg, aunts, uncles and cousins.
His greatest gift of all has been the love of my wife Jo Ann for the past 25 years, as well as her parents and brother.
Whatever good I have or ever hope to have is from God. I want to do my best, but often I do not. I'm still in the process of writing my most important story, so all I can do is try my best and hope that one day God might be pleased by it.
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God is the author of the greatest love story of all.