Life In the Rearview Mirror by David A. Wilson This book is dedicated to My children... David III, Kevin, Daryl, Deborah My grandchildren... David IV, Matthew, Elizabeth, Hannah, Michael, Kaleb, Kameron, Shiloh, Kollin, Charlemagne, Myabella, Brooklyn, Christianna, Sheriese, Troy My extended family... My purpose in writing this book during the My team at Wilson Audio very short remaining time I have left on this earth and my friends. is simply to share with my children, grandchildren, friends, and even possibly descendants more generations removed All of you who have helped me in countless ways. as well as those who are like-minded in our love of the potentially soul-filling joys of music, some personal I hope something I have written within these pages experiences that have been positive and have will be of help to you in this earthly journey had significant consequences in my life. that we call Life as now I see some of my experiences with perspective David A. Wilson In the Rearview Mirror. Forward David A. Wilson, my eternal love, is my favorite storyteller. He made any story interesting as he drew vivid and vibrant word pictures, and, as he recounted various events for family and friends, he made experiences in the past come to life. He also loved to share his knowledge about geology, herpetology, photography, history, audio, autos, shooting...and the list goes on. He truly had the heart of a teacher. We discussed getting some of his poignant experiences written down, which he started doing in early 2017. I felt an urgency for him to get this part of his personal history done. We had written our life sketches for my family history books, but a chronological history of major life events is one thing--writing down these vignettes, capturing his quick and charming wit about his life lessons learned, was another. He finished the first chapter, “Be Careful What You Say”, on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2017, while we were on a vacation/business trip in Florida. I was so pleased that the project was indeed starting! I encouraged, helped with typing and editing...and yes, even indulged in a little gentle, and sometimes not so gentle “prodding”. We have always jokingly said, “Behind every good man is a good woman with a pitchfork... tined with kindness”. I felt it was paramount for him to get these “vignettes” out of his head and onto paper... and he did too. The objective was to take certain events in his life that had dramatically affected, enlightened, helped, guided, or changed him, and put them into a narrative form so they could help loved ones who might face similar circumstances or challenges in their lives. Dave has fought serious health problems for years--sarcoidosis, diabetes, skin cancer, infections, and heart disease. However, there was more to come. Our world was changed forever on November 9, 2017, when a dear friend, Dr. Gordon McClean, after reviewing his CT scan, sat in our music room at our home and told us that Dave had bone cancer. Of all the diseases Dave dreaded, cancer was his worst nightmare. Later, Dave was specifically diagnosed with a Stage 4 metastatic squamous cell bone cancer. The prognosis was not promising. We were told that he might only have three to six months to live. We decided to do two things. First, we decided we would fight the cancer until he was in remission. If that proved unsuccessful, we would then know healing was not our Heavenly Father’s will for Dave. Second, we wanted to be sure that, working together, we got the rest of his book written. Dave thought the title “Life in the Rearview Mirror” seemed right. His stories “looked back” from the perspective provided by his life of seventy-three years. With travel, doctors’ appointments, chemo, radiation, and drugs it was difficult for him to merely function, let alone compose his thoughts exactly the way he wanted. But Dave was amazing! He fought through pain and exhaustion and wrote as he could. He felt a powerful desire to finish this book before he left this earth...and he almost did. In seven months (a month longer than the doctors gave Dave), he completed the introduction and thirteen chapters. We had the remaining four outlined when he went into the hospital with a heart attack and a stroke. We both hoped that he would recover long enough to finish the last chapters, but that was not to be. Before Dave’s passing, I promised him that I would finish his book. Since his death, I’ve found letters and some of his recorded stories. Perhaps most profoundly, I believe I have received help and inspiration from him, and have felt his spirit alongside me, helping to get this book completed. It has been a difficult, but tender task. Of what value are the experiences and the lessons we have learned in life if we don’t pass them on to our loved ones in order to encourage and help them? We know there is purpose to this life. We must learn to help, love, and lift one another. We must develop our talents, learn self-control, and have faith. Death is not the end, but merely the closing of an important chapter, and the opening of a more glorious one. I know that Dave and I will be together again...eternally... never again to be separated. Though writing this book came at an extraordinarily difficult time, when Dave was literally fighting for his life, we both felt it was imperative to record these life experiences and share them with you, our friends and family, that we both love and care about so much. We hope in some small way these stories and insights will help you during your earthly journey. With our love, Sheryl Lee...and Dave August 16, 2018 9:25 AM Life in the Rearview Mirror by David A. Wilson husband, Father, Speaker Designer, and Man of Faith Chapters Time Period Pages Dave’s Introduction and Life Sketch 1944-2018 1 -- 5 1 Childhood Fears 1947, 1953, 2010-2018 6 -- 11 2 Be Careful What You Say! 1952 12 -- 13 3 “That’s Not You !” 1957 14 -- 17 4 The Spark Is Ignited 1958-1999 18 -- 23 5 Bargain Blowouts 1959 24 -- 35 6 The Ministry of Encouragement 1961-2018 36 -- 43 7 Jenny’s Junction 1965 44 -- 49 8 “All Is Fair In Love And War!” 1965 50 -- 55 9 Just Don’t Call It A “Vacation” 1973 56 -- 67 10 A Seed Is Planted 1996 68 -- 71 11 The Mission of Mankind 1996 72 -- 75 12 The Challenges of Motherhood 2006 76 -- 81 13 At Least It’s Not Afghanistan! 2014 82 -- 83 14 “It’s All About Time!” 2017 84 -- 87 15 Miracles or Mere Coincidences? 1952-2018 88 -- 95 16 Things We’ve Learned 1966-2018 96 -- 97 17 My Testimony 2017-2018 98 --101 18 Till We Meet Again... 2018 102 §1 Introduction and Life Sketch Well, I’ve put this off about as long as I dare. I have been counseled by leaders far wiser than I, to write a personal histo- ry. I think I started hearing that counsel over 40 years ago, so you might be forgiven for thinking that procrastination is one of my character flaws. The delay is neither because I lack mean- ingful experience, nor is it because I lack fondness and concern for you, my family and friends, the ones who are most likely to read this. But, as you know, life has its distractions...the vol- untary and the imposed, the meaningful and the frivolous, the good and the bad. We are constantly making choices of what to do with our limited time, resources, and energy. Sometimes our choices aren’t great, but when we are at our best, we choose to do the best...selecting it over the merely good...and avoiding at all costs the evil and self-destructive. I consider this book, a collection of writings, experiences, and insights, to be one of the best things I can do with the time I have left if it benefits any who read it. One of the challenges of actually writing is to decide on a format or structure. Obviously, a simple chronological outline of my life would have some value. Out of all my forebearers, only my mother, Irene Metcalfe Wilson, left a personal history, and because of this, even after her death, I still learn from her. I wish my father and grandparents had left some written history...even very brief thoughts and reminiscenc- es. All that remains are old pictures, certificates, and memories that are fading...just like the pictures. My mother’s journal begins with her childhood and goes from there in generally linear chronological sequence. This is an eminently logical style of presentation, but at times I wanted to know more about cer- tain experiences she had, how she felt about them, and what lessons she learned from them. I’ve chosen not to use the “linear chronology” format because I fear I would get bogged down in the sometimes long periods of (not-too-meaningful) living history that fill the spaces between the more noteworthy experienc- es. I feel a need (finally) to achieve and maintain some real momentum. So I considered the way I actually think. I sometimes find myself remembering an experience and thinking that there’s a good story there… one that people may actually want to read. So that is what I’m going to do.