This book is about the paths we all have in life, and it is based on my observations from my many years in helping others help themselves which in turn helped me better understand my own path in life.

It is about people we know: our families, both given and chosen, along with workers, lovers, patients, friends, and veterans. Each of them gives assistance to others on their life journeys and on their life paths. We never know where our paths or crossroads will lead us each day. Yet we wake up and take that first step forward every day after day. We travel life’s paths, frequently encountering crossroads, some different while often the same. We rarely know what to expect, which is also what makes life worth living.

We travel over roads of marriage, divorce, love, hate, illnesses, pain, suffering, worry, joy, trauma, care and sometimes compassion. We never know if a chosen path will be good or bad. Sometimes going down a path offers a thrill and adventure. Other times it is a moment of time in life best forgotten. Our life’s paths are simply our unwritten poems, which is why I’ve chosen to make my observations in the poems that make up this volume.

All of us travel down these paths and stop at their crossroads. May we all be safe, thankful for the good and remain ever cautious of the bad. Yet it takes everyone in our lives to offer directions to find that right path during our journeys.

So, please join along on Our Paths in Life, written in hopes that the words may help all of us understand the crossroads and appreciate the right path.