It’s been a few decades since I’ve seen the western movie “5 Card Stud” but one scene still sticks with me. In the movie, Robert Mitchum plays a preacher (dressed in black and all that) and Dean Martin is our honest-dealing poker-playing hero. In the scene I remember, Dean Martin happens to see the Robert Mitchum preacher doing some very respectable shooting practice with his six-gun. When the preacher notices him, the Dean Martin character observes, “You used to be somebody else.” Robert Mitchum replies, “Everybody used to be somebody else.”

I seem to think of that line more and more often these days. Did I used to be somebody else or was I the same, but just in a different situation? Our “before” lives help to make us who we are now. Sometimes that’s an improvement. Sometimes it’s baggage.

In the story “Sight of Home” Bill Garnett’s “before” life certainly has some baggage aspects that he’s still lugging around decades later. But it also helped him grow. I suppose that dual aspect of a “before” life is true for a lot of us.

“Sight of Home” is in the “Stories of Life and Love” section . Take a look. Someone in it may remind you of someone you know.

The pure white bloom smiling at the sun above is a gardenia. Its fragrance is legendary and doesn’t disappoint. In the warmth its essence carries you to distant realms of exotic life. This particular variety is ‘Mystery.’

This website is about my published stories. As you can see, I have sorted them into three groups: Stories about friends, Stories just for fun, and Stories of life and love. These stories are the building blocks of the site. So I guess that means that right now this site is under construction. Ideally, it will always be under construction, because I will be adding stories from time to time. So come back to visit every so often and check out my building skills.