The Bench: A Story of Faith, People & Purpose

By Jonathan Roy

This book is unique as it is based on true events but is written from a story telling perspective. There are twelve simple principles to follow that are outlined in an engaging story that if you implement them into your life they will help you discover and fulfill your purpose. In a series of surprise events that take place; Huey with the help of a few others such as Rachael, Dave the soldier and Luke, relay the message of the twelve principles to Dan. The story all begins in the park with The Bench.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512784435

Jonathan Roy

Jonathan is happily married and a father of four. He has written many articles inspiring people to do more, achieve more and simply be more. He wrote his first book in 2009 that shared a simple strategy to overcoming your challenges. He attended college in Florida and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater.He has a professional background in Sales, Sales Training and Coaching. He has attended Dale Carnegie trainings, Brooks Group trainings, Best Practices trainings, Speech and Communication trainings and others. He has owned his own film company, distribution business and has worked in textiles, medical and dental industries. He has served on the board of directors for various organizations. He has spoken to audiences from 20 to 10,000. Jonathan currently resides in Denver, Colorado where he and his family are experiencing the Rocky Mountain lifestyle.

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Copyright © 2017 Jonathan Roy.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-8444-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8445-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8443-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017906436

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/1/2017

Table of Contents

The Bench

A Story of Faith, People, and Purpose.

Chapter 1: The Bench.

Chapter 2: Move it.

Chapter 3: Ask for It!

Chapter 4: Speak.

Chapter 5: Heart!

Chapter 6: Treasure.

Chapter 7: Purpose.

Chapter 8: The Code.

Introduction

First let me say thank you for picking up this book, and second let me encourage you to read it. This book is based on my own life experiences. Over the years, I have encountered many wonderful people. Some of these people have become longtime friends and others good acquaintances. Others have just come in for a quick visit. I have gained insight and wisdom from many of the people who have come into my life. I have taken that wisdom along with what I call the twelve and have written them in a story-like fashion to share the wisdom I have learned from others and from the twelve. The Twelve are twelve principles that are fundamental essentials to achieving a purpose in your life. I want to encourage you to read this book to gain insight into finding your purpose, helping your relationships, and of course being entertained at the same time.

Acknowledgments

Since I can remember, I was always told that my writing skills needed work. Even today I still struggle with writing, yet I find a passion in telling a story. If it wasn’t for certain people telling me I can do it, I would never have written this book. I need to first express my sincere love and gratitude for my soul mate and wife, Laura. If it weren’t for her love and dedication to our family, I would not be who I am today. My four kids have read and given their input to the making of this book. Their creativity and insight have been priceless. My brother-in-law Frank challenged me to continue to write, and he read the first version of this book. His insight gave me so much more than I expected, and a large part of this work is because of his initial insight. I want to thank my mom and dad for listening to my ideas and always encouraging me. I also want to thank those who came into my life and changed me for the better.

The Twelve

1. Move forward.

2. Ask for it.

3. Be fearless.

4. Speak what you want.

5. Heart must be right.

6. True treasure.

7. Do not grow weary in well doing.

8. God works through people.

9. Do what matters most.

10. Make it personal.

11. You make an impact.

12. Cling to your purpose.

Chapter 1

The Bench.

The alarm clock sang in a low-level Are You Lonesome Tonight by Elvis Presley, waking Dan from a brief slumber. His right hand was trained from years of routine to find the off button without looking. He was quick to turn it off. It was 5:00 a.m. The pillows were just right, the comforter finally perfect, and his positioning exact, but none of that mattered as it was time to start the day. The room was still, silent, and dark as a cave deep in a mountain. The only sound was the A/C unit buzzing outside his window.

Dan pried his right eye open, stared up at the darkness, then opened his left. He lay there for a moment, breathing. A small slit in the window shade yielded to moonlight, allowing his eyes to adjust and notice silhouettes of shapes. One caught his attention. He saw what looked like the outline of a sheep. He tried to focus his eyes to capture what this object could be. He closed his left eye and focused with his right but still couldn’t make it out. After a long stare at the object, he gave up thinking it might just be a toy and lay there for a minute more. His stomach gurgled, and immediately he felt pressure building up below. He hoped it would pass, but the pressure intensified until he could no longer keep it back. He looked over at his wife, cringed, and with a controlled motion, opened the gate. Silent, smooth, and thankfully not deadly.

He turned his head and saw his wife and new baby were still sleeping. He always loved the way his wife’s face smiled even in sleep. He also heard his baby breathing, reassuring everything was fine. He made sure not to wake either of them, as he knew the wrath that would follow if he did. He gently removed the covers and lightly placed them on a diagonal. He positioned his right leg toward the edge of the bed. His left leg followed. He lowered both legs by easing his body inch by inch until his big toes touched the carpet. He kept his body straight, and gravity pulled him down. Dan controlled his descent by grabbing the sheets and letting them slide through his fingers. He landed and took a minute to listen. It was still quiet. He cautiously tiptoed through the maze of bouncy seats, piles of laundry, toys, a rocking chair, and a cat and made it to the wall. He placed his hands on the wall and felt his way, noticing the orange peel texture. His hand slid slowly down the wall to the bathroom light switch. He counted to the fourth switch and turned only this one on. It was just enough light. Dan stared in the mirror, depressed by the half-moon dark circles under his eyes, the crow’s feet at the corners, and the additional gray ear hairs; it was a reminder of time rushing by. Dan took his spot in between his wife’s hair products, makeup, baby wash, powder, and tissues left on the counter. The tissues were what always drove him crazy. He mumbled to himself, How hard is it to throw them away? He faced the mirror that had splatter marks from children brushing their teeth and spitting in the sink. Again he mumbled, Why can’t they just wipe it down? He continues getting ready, and after cutting his nose hairs, trimming his eyebrows, clipping his nails, plucking his ear hairs, showering, and shaving, he grabbed his clothing from his section of the closet and dressed in the living room.

It was Monday, and Dan had worked over the weekend, missing his son’s baseball game again; however, Dan was not overly concerned. He never wanted to miss any games, and he knew he needed more sleep, but there was too much to do. He was a mid-level manager for a large company and was targeted to be the next vice president. He was willing to do whatever it took and was driven to achieve what he believed was success.

After looking at the clock, he realized it was time to leave. He washed down his banana with coffee, tiptoed into his kids’ rooms, noticing one was perpendicular to the bed and another had an immense amount of drool hanging from her lower lip, but he did it anyway and gave each a kiss. Dan then squeezed the front door knob firmly and twisted it, as though he were opening a safe. He heard the plunger disengage and pushed intentionally from the bottom to ensure a smooth opening. The door made a slight scraping noise. Dan paused to listen if anyone awoke. He heard nothing. He continued to float over the threshold with the knob still twisted in his hand. He cleared the threshold and pushed the bottom of the door closed first. He untwisted the knob and heard the plunger reengage. He placed his key methodically into the keyhole and locked the door. He then pressed his ear on the door and heard nothing. It was official; he had made it without waking anyone. Dan briskly headed down his driveway, took a right, and then made the first left about a ten-minute walk to the train, as it was slightly colder than usual. He even noticed a crisp taste in the air. He arrived at the station and immediately felt the vibration in the ground of the approaching train. There weren’t as many people as usual as it must be the cooler air keeping them away. The train roared into the station and came to halt. Dan climbed on the train and took his normal seat.

His rides were always quiet. Dan kept his head mostly buried in the negative news to prevent him from making eye contact with the others on the train. He didn’t like to talk to others much. He felt people just asked questions to ask but that they truly didn’t care. He would always read the money section first to see how the stock market was doing. Today was no different except he noticed a stock that he had wanted to buy if he had the money had shot up in value. Dan saw this and breathed in and exhaled with a sigh. He thought to himself, If only I had the money. He looked up to gaze out the window, as he would do sporadically, and it would remind him of the days when life just seemed easier. The train ride was about twenty minutes, and he always got off one stop before the closest stop to the office. This allowed him to stroll through the park and enjoy a few extra minutes of fresh air; he knew every detail of his walk through the park. The large oak tree standing proud was one favorite; however, the small seedlings fighting for sun and water were his all-time favorites. He heard the same bird song that would give him a sense of peace. He always enjoyed the smell of Mondays as the grass had just been cut Sunday night. He even knew how many steps until he turned for the final small section of path to his office. Dan was counting in his head—130, 131, 132, and then on 133, he turned his normal corner and came to a halt. He stood there and stared at a bench that had not been there before. At least Dan didn’t think it had been there before. The bench was weathered and worn, as if it had been sucked up into a tornado and spit out and rebuilt. The wood was unusually distressed with worm holes and slash marks with no pattern. He moved