A Dove is Set Free to Fly, by James McLean

Books by Clarence Parker by Low Cost Cooking, Business Handbook for the Self Employed, and Basic Cooking for Men and Women

A Dove is Set Free to Fly

1 Full size cover, click here

2 Table of contents, click here

3 Foreword extracts, click here

4 Sample extracts from start of chapter 1, click here

Table of Contents
	Foreword	i
	Acknowledgments	iii
1	A Darker Cloud Appears	1
2	Alone Into The Darkness My Soul Does Walk	6
3	Reaching Out One More Time	9
4	A King Stands Alone On The Battlefield	11
5	A Dark Turning Point Enters Into My Life	14
6	A Poem From A Crying Heart	17
7	The Door That I Almost Walked Through	20
8	Many Little Angels Come Into My Life	22
9	A Gift I Gave To Myself	26
10	Giving Back Your Tarnished Ring	33
11	The Moving Day Comes	35
12	A New Journey Begins	39
13	The School Year Begins	43
14	A Little Child's Cries	45
15	Meeting The Doctor For The First Time	48
16	A Trusted Friend Steps In To Help Me Along The Way	50
17	Adjusting To A Lonely Life That I Was Now Leading	52
18	The Battle My Son Lost	55
19	A Sad Farewell That I Had To Do For A Trusted Friend	57
20	The Phone Call I Made To Help Set My Son Free	61
21	A Letter In The Mail Box	63
22	Discovering A True Friendship	65
23	A Second Chance I Gave To Bring A Special Friend Home	68
24	The Journey I Began With Words	70
25	A Lost Friend That Enters From The Past	72
26	The Little Seed That Grew Into A Beautiful Flower Of Words	75
27	A Heartfelt Journey Of Music	81
28	The Great Lessons In Life From The School Of Hard Knocks	83
29	From Poverty To Riches	86
30	The Discovery Of My Wonder Years	93
31	Time, The Final Frontier	98
	Values That I Now Live By	103
	The Eight Keys Of Excellence	105
	Afterwards	106

Summary
1.	The realization that there is difficulty in the marriage and the possibility of a breakup.
2.	The necessity to letting go of his feelings towards his spouse, even though he wants to try to make things better.
3.	Making an attempt at reconciliation, but only to go down in defeat.
4.	Still trying to make a difference, he makes another attempt at turning things around.
5.	Depression sets in with thoughts of suicide. A doctor and a friend try to help him along the way.
6.	Still together for birthdays and Christmas but nothing helps undo the torment.
7.	Depression almost wins and tries to take him with it.
8.	While in the same home, they go their separate ways while trying to give their son a normal life.
9.	Separation becomes a reality.
10.	He returns the wedding ring as he feels it’s a lie.
11.	It is time for separate living arrangements. The father keeps his son as the mother enjoys her freedom more.
12.	Meeting with the lawyer to prepare the legal documents and determine custody arrangements.
13.	The son’s first day at school and a feeling of accomplishment.
14.	The unforeseen school behavior difficulties.
15.	The first trip to the doctor start with the question of mediation looming.
16.	A distant friend comes to help, starting him down the road to handling life a little better.
17.	Trying to cope with being alone while making some sort of life for himself and his son.
18.	Year two of school with still no help with medication.
19.	A sad event as father and son encounter a terrible tragedy.
20.	Finally the medication is made available.
21.	The divorce is finally over.
22.	A special female friend enters his life.
23.	A new family pet enters the life of father and son.
24.	He finds great joy, healing and comfort through poetry writing
25.	A love life from the past emerges but not without its problems.
26.	A love relationship with a married woman goes through some difficult times.
27.	Her short return brings an end to their relationship.
28.	Taking a hard look at life and its values helps him to learn how to deal with them better.
29.	Finding a positive solution to financial problems brought on by the marriage breakup.
30.	Looking back, he realizes that his difficult journey has made him and his son better persons.

Foreword Extracts

Today, I am one of the numbers joining thousands of other males who have set out to raise their children as primary caregivers. While doing research to try to determine what percentage of single male parents were actually looking after their children, I was surprised and astonished to learn that more single parent fathers are starting to take on the role of being both mom and dad to their children. I then asked myself if the role of primary care giver was now changing. Are males being forced into this role or are they starting to take on a more domineering place in their children’s daily lives? When I was growing up, my mother was the one who did all of the household duties and looked after my brothers and sisters while my father was the one who brought home the pay.

I treated Anthony’s mom badly back in the days of our separation because I chose to do this. Today she and I are better people because I chose to change my way of thinking. My life has become better and richer because I have learned that it can be better and more rewarding when you reach inside and come out with good words towards those around you.

Today, I look at life differently. The worst part of my life is in the past. I live by these words every day and they give me the power to overcome new problems that enter into my life. I don’t become overwhelmed with these new problems instead I try to solve them. Have I found true happiness? I have found peace of mind. I have found that “I am me” and I have learned to love the person that I am. I am special, one of a kind and I am here.

To begin my journey of sadness, anger and most of all forgiveness, I would like to begin with the important lessons that I have learned along the way. These lessons have led me to an important part of my life, where I look at life in a most positive way.

Sample Extracts from Start of Chapter 1

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Cor. 13:4-8a

Chapter 1

A Darker Cloud Appears
June 1997

Into the depths of darkness my soul does fall
as I see the twilights that the mornings do call.
My eyes do see the colors sent out from Thee
but in my empty darkened soul do hide the
gifts so free from Thee.

I guess I would have to say that my whole life changed on the day that Anthony’s mom told me that our love for each other was not mutual. When I first met Anthony’s mom, I was just getting over a breakup from an engagement. I had been with this person for four years when I realized that this was not the person that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I then became a part of Anthony’s mom’s life. Through her, my whole perception of love and marriage changed but these changes were one sided. I saw them transpiring but did nothing to stop them. In the end, I discovered many new things about myself and also the important things that life can give to us. I had been married to Anthony’s mom for eight years and the events that transpired over a period of nine years ended up in divorce. I do not wish to put blame on any one person because today I believe that I was just as much a part of the problem as she was. Here is my story.

On that day in June of 1997, I never would have thought that I would lose my friend that day, the person that I had chosen to devote my entire life to. I had given her eight years of unconditional love and a few simple words from her would make me a changed person. Words that became stitched and woven in the depths of my heart to forever echo in my mind. With the events that had transpired over the past year came a battle that I never thought I would have to face. A growing darkness came to replace my kindred spirit. I began to question her love for me and as this darkness grew to enormity, I also questioned my love for her. The value that I had placed on my life also began to fade.

Returning home from work and entering the living room, I saw my son enjoying one of his favorite television programs. I stopped to see what was entertaining him. In my son’s eyes, “Barney” was one cool guy! Anthony knew all of Barney’s songs and was singing one of them. My attention then turned to my wife who was still in her housecoat and lying on the couch.

We began our conversation with small talk about the day’s events like we always did but I sensed that something was wrong. After some time had passed, I gained the courage to ask her what was wrong. The words, “I don’t love you the same way that you love me,” came from her mouth. I froze and was unable to speak. I wasn’t too sure at this point what those words really meant. They cut through my heart like a hot knife through butter. If she could have reached into my chest at that moment, she would have seen a crushed heart and spirit. As the words had come from her lips, my insides had crushed, like drops of dew rolling off of a flower petal in the early morning sun.

I looked upon her with concerned eyes and asked, “What’s wrong?” She was not sure. I had stopped my world to now listen to hers. What had I done wrong? Why was she pulling away from me? As I tried to understand, she told me that she felt like a mother to two people, to Anthony and to myself. Our son had behavior problems and I knew that. I also knew that I was working seventy hours a week and she was working forty hours a week and that we had little time together. I guess that if I had to pinpoint the one thing that our marriage had lost, it was the lack of communication between us. How this had happened and why was due to the course of our daily lives. My not having the skills to communicate properly with her also contributed to our problems. This often happens in families as it did in ours and we did lose touch with each other over the years and we had grown more and more apart.

To place an order click here