River of Life

I would like to share the beginning of when River of Life was written. I had just completed my lifelong dream of reaching the peak of Kilimanjaro, totally exhausted and looking to remain sharp of mind. I started the descent and thought of this story; to keep my mind from hallucinating in the thin air at the great altitude I was at. 

On this long journey, I experienced not only the fulfillment of climbing Kilimanjaro but another boyhood dream of crossing the Sahara, experiencing the sea sands of this remarkable landscape. Seeing with my own eyes El’ Alamein and the great battlefields of the North Africa campaign fought by Field Marshal Rommel and General Montgomery. 

I have always loved history, and when I first entered the city of Alexandria and saw the great port, I stared in wonderment, thinking back to when Alexander the Great first saw this. His reward was calling it his own. Traveling up the Nile, to Luxor and Aswan, visiting Abu Simbel is to relive the moments of the River of Life itself.

Another inspiration for this story came from a woman I met in Krakow, as she told me the events that happened to her family under the occupation of Nazi Germany during the Second World War. I asked her if I was ever going to write a story, could I share her experiences? She kindly granted me that request.

My life has changed over the years it took me to write this story. Yet today, as I did in the days climbing Kilimanjaro and crossing the great Sahara, I enjoy the feel of freedom and movement that has been granted to me. I hope River of Life will provide a measure of enjoyment in your mind.

I would like to tribute River of Life to a remarkable person, Phyllis Verdine Humphries. You left this world a much better place. I love you, mom.