Everything Happens for a Reason

Anytime something good or bad happens in my household, my wife always says, “Everything happens for a reason.” Time and again, she’s been right.

I met this amazing woman in Apache Junction, Arizona, just after winning my last game of pool. I was headed out the door of a small country bar when she and a friend walked in. I held the door for them, then turned around and followed them back inside. For the past 45 years, I’ve teased her when telling this story, always adding that it was her friend who first caught my eye.

The Mystery of Numbers and God’s Hand in It All

I’ve always paid attention to dates and numbers, and the coincidences in my life are too exact to dismiss.

My wife’s birthday is November 30th. For years I’ve jokingly wished her a happy anniversary on that date before correcting myself with, “Oh wait. I meant happy birthday.” The truth is, November 30th was the day I married my first wife back in 1974.

On August 18, 1968, I lost my brother to suicide. Exactly 56 years later, on August 18, 2024, I lost my mother after a hard-fought battle following a stroke. For weeks, bedridden and unable to eat or care for herself, she hung on far longer than anyone expected. And then, on August 18, the very date we all felt she was waiting for, she passed.

The numbers still astonish me: I was born in 1956. My brother died in 1968. My mother died 56 years later, when I was 68 years old.

The ties don’t stop there. My editor and digital creator, Kel, later shared that her father had passed away on August 18, 2002. I hadn’t known this when we began working together, but I felt an immediate connection to her.

And speaking of connections, Kel was born in Grand Junction, Colorado—the same place my oldest son has lived for 25+ years. She went to college in Lubbock, Texas, just 33 miles from the small town where I was born. Too many coincidences to ignore. God has been weaving threads all along, even when Richard and I didn’t want to acknowledge Him.

The Weight of PTSD and God’s Timing

After years of battling PTSD and distancing myself from family, in 1984 we moved to Texas to be closer to my parents. I found work in a local school district, where decades later a trusted co-worker recommended a counselor named Jerry Clark.

I had heard Jerry’s name for nearly 20 years, but back then, I couldn’t bring myself to talk. It wasn’t until after my mother’s passing—on a road trip, with courage I can only say came from God—that I finally made the call.

Jerry and I met one-on-one six times before he invited me to join a veteran’s transition group, Transition’s Plus. Most of the men were Vietnam veterans, and though I hadn’t seen combat, for the first time I felt understood. Their battles with PTSD mirrored my own. I no longer felt like the only one in the world carrying this weight.

Sharing the Story

During one of our sessions, I asked if anyone would read a book I had written about my brother’s suicide and its impact. I warned them it was graphic at points. Seven men agreed to read it. Each one came back with the same message: This story is powerful. It needs to be shared. It could save lives.

Encouraged, I pursued publishing but quickly became disheartened by the process. Then God intervened again. Jerry had written a self-help book called, Blind Spots in Relationships, with the help of his niece Kel. When I connected with her, we both knew my story had to be told.

Moving Forward Together

So here we are. Starting with this book and this blog.

We’re building a space where people can share their experiences, ask questions, and find hope in knowing they’re not alone. A place where we walk alongside one another.

Every story matters. And sometimes, every coincidence is God’s way of showing us we’re right where we’re supposed to be.

---

If You’re Struggling

If you or someone you love or know is in a dark place, please know you’re not alone and there is help available. Reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. There are people ready to listen, ready to walk with you, and ready to help.

Immediate assistance is available:

National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline  

📞 988

Veterans Crisis Line  

📞 1-800-273-8255 (Press 1) | 📱 Text 838255

Survivor Support / Crisis Group  

🌐 https://www.crisishotline.org  📞 832-416-1177

---

💡 If you know someone who needs to hear that they are not alone, share this story. Together, we can create echoes of hope that outlast the pain.

For more than five decades, I carried this story in silence. Silence nearly broke me, but telling it is what keeps hope alive.

Bonded: A Brother’s Love : One Bullet. A Thousand Echoes my hope is that it offers understanding, connection, and even a reason to hold on when life feels unbearable.

📖 Order your copy today and join me in breaking the silence. Together we can spread hope, honor the lost, and change the future.