Each of us plays many roles. If we are not real we will not be successful in playing any of those roles. The title contains a series of roles I have played in my life. I will be successful to the degree that I am REAL. Each of us is asked to make the presence of God REAL. We can do that only if we are real. I have been described by others as being half poet, horse trader, family. The title I liked best was given to me by a group of youngsters who asked me: "Why don't you teach us? You're REALWe are REAL when we are born but ...
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Each of us plays many roles. If we are not real we will not be successful in playing any of those roles. The title contains a series of roles I have played in my life. I will be successful to the degree that I am REAL. Each of us is asked to make the presence of God REAL. We can do that only if we are real. I have been described by others as being half poet, horse trader, family. The title I liked best was given to me by a group of youngsters who asked me: "Why don't you teach us? You're REALWe are REAL when we are born but we quickly lose that sense of reality when we encounter difficulties in life. When we learn to not simply deal with the difficulties of life but transform those difficulties into a deeper understanding of who we are we become a little more REAL.William Crumley asks questions few other persons ask. As a result he has answers many others do not have. The titles of his books reflect some of those questions and answers. Why We Are Always Broke, Must We Always Remain Broke? Restoring the Common WEALTH. The last book is a novel which expresses the conditions which have caused our economic crisis and suggest solutions ordinary people can do to avert economic problems. He also authored another book Ordinary People Tuning In On Needs.His writings also reflect that we have more than just a body. We are mind and spirit also. Our minds and spirits are sometimes troubled by the events of our bodies. One of his books is entitled Keep On Trucking: even if you do not have a truck. A book entitled Letters From God reflect a spiritual solution to some of the common problems our bodies present to us. Ecoflections: reflections on the ecology is a series of poems which aim to help us restore our environment. " On October13, 1951 my father died. He had been operated on twice and both times they found cancer. Between the operations he was able to return to work. After the second operation he was no longer able to work. I saw him wasting away and tried to avoid thinking about it. Whenever anyone asked about him I would say that he was doing all right. One night about two months before he died I was in the front yard watering the lawn. I always looked for an excuse to get out of watering the lawn. Dad came out and said: "I want to talk to you." I knew what he wanted to talk about and I did not want to hear it. I replied: "I have to water the lawn." Dad said: "You can continue watering the lawn but sit here on the step, I want to talk to you". When I sat down dad said: "I heard you tell Mr. Cook when he asked how I was doing, that I was doing ok." Now I was certain what he wanted to talk about. I did not want to give him the opening his question was leading toward. I also did not want to lie to my father and deny I had said it, so I simply remained quiet. After a few seconds dad said: "You know I am going to die." My father's simple statement was difficult. However, it was also freeing. I did know he was going to die. He freed me from the burden of continuing to deny something I knew was true. He also said it so calmly and peacefully. He told me in effect that it was all right for him to die. The day before he died dad asked to go to the hospital. That night mom and I went to see him in the hospital. He sent us home very quickly. I never understood why he asked to go to the hospital and why he sent us home so quickly. Years later as I began to help families accept the death of a loved one I finally understood why he went to the hospital and sent us home so quickly. In my later ministry I came to realize that someone will not die until they are allowed to die by their family. My mother and my sister were not allowing dad to die. He could not go on any longer. He had to go where he could die in peace.
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