AFTERWORD

One of my granddaughters asked if I was going to dedicate the Woodcutter’s Revival. I told her, “Of course. I am going to dedicate it to my granddaughters. She giggled with approval. I wanted to leave something of myself for my children and granddaughters.

Sure, we have made things together in the shop and at the kitchen table, but I wanted them to have some insight into my thinking. I wanted to freeze a frame in time, both the time I lived and produced and the time frame in which the story took place.

My granddaughters, in order by age, are Hannah, Hailey and Meliah. Of course, the dedication extends to their parents, my children – my daughter, Shannon, and my son, Micah. Tim and Melinda might not be my “actual” children, but they are by choice. They are also special to Shannon and Micah, not to mention the girls.

Everybody has heard people talk about the ‘good old days.’ I have also heard people say, Those who talk about the good old days just have a poor memory.”

It is human nature to wonder if people faced less stress, enjoyed life more, or found simpler entertainment in earlier times. People also wonder how these things will be different in the future. I have personally wondered if there truly are ‘good old days’ or if people tend to gravitate toward romantic notions of the past because they want to believe that people had it better at some point in time.

The purpose of this book was to attempt to portray a short period in history as accurately as possible. The time chosen was toward the end of period that was the awakening of the Industrial Revolution. Imagine life one hundred years ago.

Let the reader compare and contrast the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, with the use of steam to the progress and the resulting life styles created by the Information Age, the Internet and the computer.

Was there less stress a hundred years ago? Would the character of Michael, betrayed by his power hungry and greedy brother, Edward, have felt less pain and bewilderment a hundred years ago? When Michael charged up San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt, did he have a guarantee he would survive? Were the bullets any less real than today?

The Woodcutter’s Revival was an attempt to cause people to think about being born in a certain era rather than another. It was to portray betrayal and forgiveness. The story was about human ambition and greed. It compared and contrasted political leanings and leadership styles. There was even a love story found in the pages. It was an attempt at a slice of life that, hopefully did more than entertain.