This Little Life of Mine Thomas M Parsons

This is an account of my life. So, who wants to read it? I don't know. Many people already have. But it should be noted that I am not the hero of my own story. In reality, this is not about me, but, rather, about what God has done in this little life He gave me.

The picture is my high school graduation picture, taken in 1959 when I was 17. I do not look like this any more. I'm not even certain I wish I did. Most days, at least.

The other picture shows me with my beautiful young wife, Linda. The picture was taken in 1972 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, at a youth banquet our church sponsored for our young people. She doesn't look like this any more either. But she is still the most beautiful woman in my life.

At the bottom of this column is a picture of downtown Ridgetown, Ontario, Canada, where my mother grew up. That is Linda and my mother entering my uncle's bakery shop in 1972.

This account follows my growing up years in Lincoln Park, Michigan where God gave me salvation, my time in seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan where God gave me a wife, and our years in Flint, Michigan, Oglesby, Illinois and Columbus, Ohio where God gave me a ministry and three daughters, and now has expanded that to include three sons-in-law and nine grandchildren. Along the way you will meet the three pets who have been in our family, Nikki, Laddie and Toby.

I have not used the real names of most of the people in this account. I have also changed some details, partly to protect the privacy of those involved, and partly because I can't remember exactly how some of these events actually occurred.

CHAPTERS 1. Why Write?
2. The Rest of the Windsor Story
3. Keppen School
4. Four Fabulous Years
5. Senior Year
6. Becky
7. The Education of a Journalist
8. The New Baptist in Town
9. Going Steady
10. What? Me? A Pastor?
11. A Broken Heart
12. Ozalid and Oswald
13. Oops!
14. The Scattering
15. My First Car
16. My Future
17. No Room in the Dorm
18. A Place to Crash
19. Let the Sun Shine In
20. A Job and a Girl
21. A Bicycle in Muskegon
22. A Little Loving
23. What I Learned in the Library
24. Grand Rapids? Or Bangladesh?
25. The Summer of '68
26. A New Date
27. The Second Best Day of My Life
28. The Fight Is On
29. Where to, Lord?
30. Where Buicks Come From
31. Set Apart for Gospel Ministry
32. Laddie
33. Where Is God?
34. Interim Pastor
35. The New Pastor
36. A Good Wife
37. Missing The Bus
38. Fishers of Men
39. A Revolving Door
40. The Northern Lights
41. Thanksgiving Day
42. A Small Church of Hard Workers
43. A Diaper In The Basement
44. Cory's Bicycle
45. Frankly, My Dear
46. Family Film Nite
47. My Career As a Director
48. The Sequel
49. Stories I Cannot Tell