Two of the stories you are about to read have a grain of truth in them.

The Encounter, my first story, is based on some of my family members! My brother was in study to become a Roman Catholic priest, actually two times, once as a young man, then many years later as an older man. Both times he approached ordination and left the church.

The next two stories are to give the reader a lighter side of the church and its traditions. Especially the story, 1955 or Confession is Good for the Soul. I am the young boy with the clicker. We actually did attend morning mass like I wrote about. Also, the nuns in their black habits were to me, a small boy, a fearsome sight and not to be on the wrong side of. I really did join the Marine Corps, but I was not the military type. I did this more so to honor the family tradition on my mother's side of the family.

I hope you enjoy reading these stories, as I have enjoyed writing them.