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My Life 3

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"What makes me tick?" So growing up with four brothers gave me a different perspective than many of my friends. To begin with, I am the middle of the five - too old to do with my younger brothers still did, and not old enough to hang out with my older brothers. On reflection, that left me with a lot of time to be introspective - be observant and listen. I found that generally, if I was observant enough and attentive enough, I could avoid a lot of mistakes. Here's some things I learned over my early years that helped shape who I would become. In life there is always a choice. To take no action is an action. In life there is always an answer. You're not required to like it or accept it. There is always a cheaper, faster, or better way. But you either sacrifice quality, value, or time. In life there is always a cost. Everything worth anything costs somebody something. In life sometimes doing the right thing or the hard thing are the same thing. Growing Up: To be honest m...

My life 2

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Growing up in Colorado. My dad was stationed at Fort Carson Colorado early 1970's.  We lived at 209 Chaucer Court, Colorado Springs, CO 80916 in a subdivision then called East Borough.  I more or less grew up with the other kids in our neighborhood, and a few that my mom and dad knew. The big deal about the house is that it was the first house my mom and dad had built and bought brand new. For as long as I can remember the builders original document with "Matthews" hand printed in bold letters adorned the garage. My mom and dad were very proud that they owned their own home. Back in the 70's this was pretty huge, as it was an American Dream to own your own home. For whatever reason, that has never been my dream, but I can see why it so important to a black family in a semi-integrated neighborhood.  My best friend in the neighborhood was a fella named Scott Huyck. 

My Life...1

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Since I've never sat down to write the history of me, I figured I'd start with the past and work forward. It's a bit challenging to write one's history and not leave out any of the boring parts, but here goes. I remember living in Junction City off-post for some time. My dad was an Army Medic and I, Randall, and Greg were all born in Kansas at the Army Hospital there. I remember living off post because a tornado came through and my mom had us all hiding under the bed while it ripped through town and took my brother Herbert's bike. The tornado sounded like a train was rolling by next door, but we weren't concerned for some reason. I think I might have even fallen asleep.  One of my other early memories was getting my picture taken. I didn't know at the time it was for our family passport to go to Germany. Top is my mom (Mary Matthews), top right Herbert, left, William, bottom left Randall, bottom center, Me, bottom right, Greg. Notice our ties? It was a prett...