Days of Elijah

Someone once told Derek, “Your life’s a joke” to which he replied, “Yes, but it is much funnier when I tell it.” Derek has at least come to recognize the dangers of taking himself too seriously. He does not pretend to be an expert or authority on anything, not even his most valued project, being a father. Nonetheless, he has put together an entertaining and informative anthology of essays, poems and humor for the benefit of his son, so that his son might have a chance to live up to the meaning of his names; the first meaning “like Elijah” and the second meaning “to conquer, to be victorious.” This is not a definitive guide to becoming a man but it is meant to remove for his son any impediment to becoming reconciled with the flaws of his father. Towards that end Derek is forthright and transparent about his own struggles on the road to victory over childhood trauma, financial setbacks and broken relationships. It is a journey sustained by faith and humor.