Let me start by saying
that, looking back now
at my life before I gave
my heart to the Lord,
it's plain to see that
God had been working in
my life even then......I
was just to blind to see
it......or too stubborn
to admit it. But there
have been times in my
former life that,
because of my actions at
the time, I should have
died or at the very
least, ended up doing a
long stretch in prison.
And although I did spend
a lot of time in jail,
and a brief period of
time in prison, it could
have been so much worse,
had it not been for
Jesus.
I was born in 1951, in
Boise Idaho and my
parents, although loving
in their own ways, were
not believers, so I
never attended church.
When I was 6 years old,
obviously my parents
thought that I needed
religion in my life, so
I was enrolled in a
Catholic school and
shortly afterwards, was
baptized in the Catholic
religion. However, I
very seldom attended
church on Sundays, and
that was fine with my
parents. I think they
felt that since I was
going to Catholic school
and since it was
mandatory at that time
to attend Mass before
school, that was all the
church I needed. My
parents were very hard
working people; my
father was a contractor
and owned his own
business, so it was not
unusual for him to work
10-12 hour days and my
mother, who worked as a
nurse's aid and later a
LPN, worked a normal 8
hr shift, then came home
and worked around the
house until late at
night. So although we
were not considered
rich, we were pretty
well off financially.
Needless to say, my
brother and sister and I
were rather spoiled and
since I was the baby of
the family, I was really
spoiled. When I was
about 12 or 13, I made
friends with some of the
wrong kind of
kids.....kids who
skipped school, were
smoking cigarettes,
sneaking out of the
house at nights and so
forth. I found it
exciting and soon was
doing the very same
things. This was the
beginning of a long road
of hurt and pain for my
parents, myself and many
others. But I found the
life exciting.
To make a long story
short, before I turned
18, I had been arrested
as a juvenile 21 times,
for a multiple
charges.....grand theft
auto, as a runaway ( at
least ten or eleven
times) carrying a
concealed weapon, petty
larceny, and so forth. I
first started smoking
marijuana when I was
about 15 and then when I
was about 17, started
doing heavier
drugs.....speed,
mescaline, LSD and so
forth. I had always
managed to stay out of
jail for a long period
of time because my
father had a lot of
influence in town, and
one of his friends was a
judge, so I always
managed to get lucky.
Looking back, since my
parents weren't
believers, they tried to
raise their children as
best they could or as
best they knew....with
love, of course, but
more so with money. I
had about 5 different
cars before I was 18 and
managed to wreck all of
them. Still they kept
trying to get me to stay
home, stay out of
trouble, stay in school
and so forth, but at
this point, I was just
simply bored and the
excitement of breaking
the law without getting
caught was too much an
attraction for me. I did
managed to finish grade
school but only made it
to about sophomore year
in high school before I
finally dropped out.
Before I turned 18, I
spent an entire year in
a reform school, but did
that straighten me out?
No, it just added more
fuel. Just after I
turned 18, I and a
friend and his
girlfriend got drunk,
broke into a small
trailer and burglarized
it. We were caught for
that and since I was now
18, I was sentenced to
prison but again my
father's influence saved
me. The judge informed
me that I would have to
serve a month in the
regular prison and then
I could do another three
months on an honor farm,
but if I messed that
opportunity up, I would
serve my regular
sentence....5--10 years.
Well, I finally started
to see light at the end
of the tunnel. I
realized that if I
messed this up, I may
never have another
chance. So I did my
time, kept my nose
clean, so to speak, and
was released after doing
only 4 months in prison.
The "Hippie" generation
was really coming into
power about this time,
and I jumped in with
both feet. I spent about
2 1/2 years hitchhiking
around the country, much
of it in a drug induced
stupor. I briefly
married for a year, but
of course, that didn't
last. Up to this point
in my life, I still
didn't have a real need
for God in my life, but
already HE had saved my
life a few times and I
came into contact with
some Christian people
during these time that
planted ""seeds"' in me
although I was unaware
of it at the time. In
those days, we called
them "Jesus Freaks" ,
and God even sent an
angel to save me from
what I now firmly
believe was a serious
threat on my life. But
still I ran from Him.
I finally made the
decision that I had to
break away from my past,
so I left Boise, where I
grew up and moved to
Seattle. It was here
that my life started
calming down a bit. I
was still doing drugs
but not nearly as much
and I again married, and
this time my wife and I
welcomed two beautiful
girls into the world.
But I then switched from
drugs to alcohol and my
wife and I fought quite
often. After about seven
or eight years, we
divorced, chiefly
because of my drinking
and our inability to get
along. As a result of
this, I fell into a
depression and ended
living on the streets
for about two years.
Again, God continued to
work in my life, and
again, I was still blind
to it, but I was
starting to come around.
I finally decided to
stop feeling sorry for
myself and I managed to
get a educational grant
and went to a trade
school where I learned
Data Entry. After
graduating from there, I
managed to land a job at
the company where I
worked for just short of
20 years. It was
during this time that
God decided that I was
too dumb or ignorant to
see what HE had been
doing for me all these
years, so HE gave me a
BIG hint and also gave
me a BIG gift. I met my
future wife, Ruby and
although she too was a
unbeliever, God worked
through her to save me,
and she changed my life
forever and continues to
help shape me in God
ways. She helped raise
my self esteem, got me
looking at the positive
side of life again, and
eventually helped me
move from my car to her
apartment where we lived
together for awhile.
Then God gave me even a
Bigger push. While
working at Airborne
Express, I met Electa
Stanley and Fran Sodoma,
two more people who
would not only change my
life but lead me to
salvation. Fran, and her
husband, Don, at that
time, only lived a few
minutes away from Ruby
and I, so Fran and I
started carpooling to
work together. Fran, of
course, was a Christian,
and although I was not a
Christian and had no
desire to be, we still
became friends. One of
the great things about
Fran is that she never
preached at me or tried
to talk me into coming
to her church, but she
did share the Word of
God with me in a simple
but effective manner. I
always tried to be
polite and listen to her
and thought "Yea, yea,
yea," but the things she
said DID make sense and
after all these years,
the wall I had built up
to separate me from
Jesus was slowly
starting to crumble,
thanks to Fran.
I was, of course, still
rebelling, as Fran will
tell you, especially
with my mouth. I had a
short temper, and was
quick to anger, and if
someone pulled out in
front of me while
driving, I was capable
of really letting loose.
And I still had an
attitude. For a long
time, I had a sign in my
rear window that read,
"IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY
DRIVING, DIAL 1-800
......" well, the ending
wasn't very nice. But
Fran kept working on me
and slowly but surely
she was making progress.
Then Electa started in
also. Sheesh, I had Fran
on one side and Electa
on the other. Electa
kept harping on my to
come to the church she
was attending at the
time, and I finally
agreed to, more to hush
her up than anything
else. Ruby and I went
one Sunday, and
afterwards, we said,
"Well, that was nice"
and went home.
But a curious thing
happened. After just one
time going to this
church, sometime later
that week, I thought to
myself "That church was
nice...maybe I need more
of that" , and between
Fran sharing the Word of
God with me every day,
driving to and from
work, and going to
Electa's church, this
wall I had spent so many
years building
completely and totally
collapsed. God, and with
God's help, Ruby, Fran
and Electa brought me
from darkness into the
light.
I gave my heart to Jesus
in September 1995 and
became a Born Again
Christian and within a
couple of months, Ruby
followed. Jesus never
gave up on
me......looking back
now, HE was with me all
along; I just didn't see
it or wouldn't
acknowledge it. Then
when it seemed all hope
was lost, HE gave me my
Ruby. We met on the
radio and although that
is another story, God
had His hands all over
that. Then he gave me
the opportunity to go
back to school, learn a
trade and then led me to
Airborne Express, where
I would eventually meet
Fran and Electa, who
would lead me to Christ,
whom I had been running
from for many years.
Fran and I also share
another special memory.
While carpooling one
day, we were involved in
a terrific auto
accident; almost a head
on crash. I managed to
tell the ambulance
driver to call my wife,
Ruby and later she and
Don, Fran's husband,
drove to Harborview
Hospital, where they had
taken us. Fran ended up
staying five days there
and I spent 10 days
there, and although
there was a time, while
there, where I told Ruby
that I didn't think I
was going to survive,
she quickly and boldly
told me that God had
more planned for me and
that my fear was
groundless.
In looking back on my
"former" life, I can now
plainly see that there
were certain roads that,
had God not intervened,
I would most certainly
have traveled and thus
there is no doubt in my
mind, that I would have
died. But God, in His
loving and all knowing
ways, had other plans
for me, so when I got to
the point when I didn't
think I could go on
anymore, he provided me
with my loving wife,
Ruby, and then Electa,
and Fran.
I worked for Airborne
Express for just short
of 20 years, and in
2003, the company was
purchased by another
company. Needless
to say, most of the
employees lost their
jobs.
Electa and I are still
in contact often and she
is on my mailing list. Although I don't see
Fran nearly as much as I
would like to, her and
Don will always have a
special place in my
heart. She knew the
'"old' Rick and and I
believe her and Don were
there when I was
baptized and now knows
the new man in Christ
that I have become.
I now am employed as a
bus driver for King
County.
Then one day, I actually
won a computer in a
radio promotion (another
one of God's gifts to
me) and soon afterwards,
I started my first
website, R & R
Inspirationals, followed
by Rick & Ruby's Place
(now gone) and lastly,
Planting His Seeds.
And my Ruby. I cannot
imagine my life without
Ruby. She has enriched
my life so tremendously
that I cannot even begin
to describe how blessed
I am to have her in my
life. My love for her
continues to burn as
brightly now as it did
when we first married.
Most importantly, thank
You, JESUS, for saving
me from myself and
bringing me into the
light of Your love and
salvation.
