We walked down the steps of the church into the cold December air laughing. Then, I suddenly saw a boy of about fourteen in a cap running past the church, shouting, "The Japs bombed Pearl Harbor! The Japs bombed Pearl Harbor!" For a moment in time, Dad and Mom froze, and my hair stood on end. I didn't even know where Pearl Harbor was located. I only knew it must be somewhere in the United States.

The story of my own family has intrigued me ever since I was a little boy. For years, I have sat and listened to my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, besides many aunts, uncles, and other relatives, to hear bits and pieces of our story. Life is made up of stories. It is how we understand the world around us.

We need to understand our own lives and choices in light of a historical context. We need to have the ability to identify where we align with and don't align with values and ways of life from the past. In so doing, our lives will feel more grounded. People today talk about how they feel a disconnect between themselves in the twenty-first century and the untouchable past. But the past really holds a lot of the key to the future. The right, proven ways from the past are ours for the taking if we would but take the time to learn about them.

And that is what this book is all about. Yes, it will take time to complete. But I don't want it to seem like a homework assignment. Enjoy! Think about it as a stepping stone to your own historical discoveries!

May Music Comes in Springtime inspire you as you continue this "odyssey" called life.