IT'S ABOUT TIME TO GET IT TOGETHER

 

as of August, 2026

 

 

 

The title of this autobiography has multiple meanings. At the end of Chapter 3, I quoted the late Thomas Merton, a Trappist Monk and prolific author. He said, "We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners, all our life!" Reflecting on my own life, I realized how true this was for me. I have done much, but I have left much undone. So, as I said after quoting Merton, "Of course, I am a beginner in almost every aspect of my life, a sobering thought, since I am now almost 90 years old. I think it's about time that I should really try to get it together." 

 

But the title has another meaning: I've been methodical in letting family and friends know what I've been up to. I've written over 100 brief memoirs, independently published 88 of them, and have sent out end-of-year updates about my year for most of my adult life. I've done all this so that family and friends might know who I am. However, nobody can coherently keep in mind all of that writing, not even I. Therefore, in this autobiography, I have tried to integrate all those writings into what I hope is a coherent and interesting summary of my life. I'm trying to get it all together.

 

 I consider the contents of this autobiography to be essentially, but not totally, true. Memory fades, and gaps must be filled. Some of the events I wanted to write about I remembered incompletely or didn't remember at all.  As I did when writing the collection of memoirs on this website, on which much of the material in this document is based, I might ask someone for help, or I might search the web. If neither of those works, I make it up. 

 

I initially intended to self-publish this as a physical book, as I did with my collection of memoirs and fiction, but I decided to put it on my website instead.  As I mentioned, I'm almost 90 years old and have imagined this document as an end-of-life reflection. In thinking about that, however, I recalled what Winston Churchill famously said regarding an Allied victory in 1942: "Now this is not the end. It's not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." It feels to me as if I still have some more living to do.  Having this document on my website makes it modifiable. If I do anything I consider of interest to others in whatever months and years I have remaining, I will be able to include it in these pages. This autobiography will undoubtedly outlive me, and there may come a time when I am no longer able to modify it. As I've often said, I will notice when that has occurred when I feel drool on my keyboard. Then I will just let it be. At any rate, the date at the top of this page under the title is when the last version was written.

 

You will note that all of the chapters in this document are to be accessed separately. You can't scroll down to the next chapter, but must return to the menu. I have done this to keep what you are reading relatively short because going back to a particular location of a long document can be difficult. By having the chapters separate, it will be easier to get back to where you left off if there is still more to read.  

 

Anyway, here, for your consideration, and I hope, enjoyment, is my attempt to finally get it all together.