My life plan came off the rails exactly 44 years ago Thursday. The plan was a good one. Fresh home from a church mission, my time was now my own.
I had squared everything with everyone — the police, the Army and God. It was time to start minding my own business instead of allowing other people do it for me.
My goal was to see the world. Toward that end, I was waiting for just the right moment to tell my family goodbye again. Then it was off to Galveston, Texas, where a friend offered to help me ship out on the lowest rung of the merchant marine ladder.