Stories of Life

Stories of Life in four parts are a variety of tales of men, women, and youth experiences in a broad array of situations, some ending in a surprising manner, a few tragically, illustrating the challenges faced in their lives. For the most part, they are based on real-life situations, many observed, some experienced, a few imaginatively created. The author believes, based on the favourable reviews of the stories from the book read thus far by a variety of individuals, virtually every reader will discover tales they can relate to based on their own life experience, finding others of more than just of a passing interest. The first part emphasises trials and triumphs in their working lives. The second part describes a number of sometimes shocking experiences occurring in their lives in youth and adulthood. The third and fourth parts are self-explanatory. Seduction, a timeless, astonishingly effective instrument of Lucifer, is not confined to sex; it is also a lust for power, wealth, authority, recognition, and domination, manifesting itself ruthlessly on all levels of society. It's not restricted to a repetition of the biblical historical confrontation of Eve with the evil one in the guise of a snake, seducing her, subsequently Adam, into eating the forbidden apple, a blame appellation over the ages many women found unacceptable. The former archangel Lucifer's apparent ability engaging in the thought processes of unwary humans asleep or awake, the nature of his appearances unlimited, has made him mankind's most formidable lifetime enemy. Despite this, although frightening to most, strangely appealing to some. The tales following are not related to religious Bible punching only to the human experience of women and men in a variety of times and situations. Some tragic, a few amusing, using the speech patterns of today not emulating those of the period being covered. While they change over time, human nature does not. Following are a collection of tales about a severely wounded Canadian Korean war hero, Michael Reardon, a major figure in the novel Mock the Haggard Face: A Canadian War Story, starting with Two Nights to Remember, his experience following a short trip to Seoul after the Royals' successful capture of a major Chinese winter line position hill 187 bordering the Samichon Valley in North Korea. Also noted Reardon's remaining impact on his former command, The Deuce, in The Royals Second Battalion, particularly on his successor, Craig Sparling, finding Reardon a hard act to follow. Also described are some incidents in his working life after Korea as well earlier in his boyhood, finally, an indication on several occasions in his life, of the impact, in the poet Robert Frost's words of The Road Not Taken.