Hear this, you elders;
    listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
    or in the days of your ancestors?
 Tell it to your children,
    and let your children tell it to their children,
    and their children to the next generation. Joel 1:2-3

It has been several months since I last shared a “read aloud” section from my upcoming memoir. But that doesn’t mean I have not been writing. In fact, there is a good chance I will be done with the rough draft by the end of the year.

This week I’ve been remembering some stories around my dad’s 1994 retirement from his book-keeping job at The Tabernacle Church in Sarasota. He had just turned 66 and I was asked to speak at the dinner given in his honor by the congregation.

The talk, “International Business Mogul Calls it a Career,” covered my dad’s life via a series of “news” articles. My facility with “alternative facts” could have led to a career in cable news or a political press secretary job!

This reel covers the speech. I am certain that you will enjoy all the stories I share – DEREK

(One caveat: the Ronald Reagan reference was written in 1994, before his diagnosis.)