About the Author

Hello, my name is Calvin. This is a brief story of my life and my conversion experience. Early on in my life, let’s say the late seventies, I was living by the ways of the world. My family didn’t have any religious upbringing, so the world was my playground, you might say. Everything I felt was normal in my own thoughts and actions was definitely leading me into a sinful life. It was easy to do what you wanted; even if your conscience told you no, you would do it anyway.

 

As soon as I graduated, my parents broke up, and the weight of that separation weighed heavy on me. Shortly after my mother and father went their separate ways, I got out on my own and began living a life you might call "free-spirited," but not God’s spirit; it was the spirit of a sinful life. I worked in bars and made that scene my playground as well. I had great friends, but the weight of the world and what it had to offer left me with mixed feelings about the direction I was going.

 

 

Finding the Path

In 1977, I met my wife, Marcia. Even though things seemed better, we were both dealing with issues. Alcohol was my "go-to" when I was around my social circle, and little did I know how much it was bringing me down. My wife was always with me, but she didn’t indulge as much as I did. We soon moved in together, and as time went on, Marcia began going to church by herself. After some time, she started to invite me. I was very reluctant; my sin nature and pride wouldn’t allow me to go.

 

If she asked me once, she asked me twenty-five times. I told her to stop inviting me, but she was never afraid to ask again and again. Finally, just to get her off my back, I decided to go. I told her, "If I hear something I don’t like, I’m walking out." When I got there, I listened closely, hoping to find a mistake, but there wasn’t a mistake to be found.

 

The Gospel that day was Luke 18:27: Jesus answered, "What is impossible for man is possible for God." That day, I never heard such wisdom as I did from that priest. I told my wife I had to go back, and I haven’t stopped ever since. From the darkness the world offered, Jesus led me onto the path of His light. I was grateful for my wife not giving up on me, because I was definitely headed down a dark road.

 

Over the years as a Christian, I would have called myself "lukewarm" in my journey. I wanted Jesus, but I wanted to have what the world had always given me as well. Even though it was to a lesser extent, because Jesus had become an active part of my conscience, I still wasn't fully converted. I’m thankful, though, that my life was better despite my faults.

 

 

Finding My Calling

It wasn’t until 2020, when the pandemic hit, that I really made a decision to make Jesus the main focus of my journey. I decided to give up my selfish ways and concentrate on the will of Jesus rather than my own. I was worried about family and friends and who I might lose as a result of COVID-19. In my despair, I started to pray more, especially the Rosary. I picked up my Bible and made it a daily routine to read it.

 

One night while I was praying, I thought, "I wish there was something I could do." Right away, my thought was answered: "Why don’t you write?" The next thing I knew, I seemed to be in a conversation with myself. In my mind, I said, "What would I write?" and in my thoughts, like I was being answered, I thought, "Write some reflections." Believing that the Holy Spirit was in my thoughts, I decided to really listen.

 

 

Answering the Call

In the next few nights of prayer, I came up with the title: For the Life of You: One Hundred Fold. I thought, "Am I supposed to write 100 reflections?" and I questioned my thoughts. The answer came: "You can do them one at a time." Maybe it was just my own mind, but I couldn’t chance not listening in case it was the Holy Spirit. It was so abrupt the way these thoughts came, and I couldn't ignore that He was calling me.

 

The title and every reflection were completed with the prayer of the Rosary to the Blessed Mother and the invitation of the Holy Trinity through three lit candles every night when I wrote. These reflections were carefully completed with prayer and contemplation. I believe the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Mother were with me during the making of this book. I have never written anything in my life to this degree (maybe an essay or two in high school). I hope this book can be a blessing to you to read, as much as it was a blessing to me to write.

 

Thank you, yours truly,

Calvin McDonald

 

God bless you all.