· I very seriously regret not knowing more about the lives of my parents and grandparents. At the death of my parents, the first overwhelming sensation to me was that I could no longer talk to them. As time went on I regretted so much that I had not asked them more questions about their lives and experiences. But that door is locked forever. My primary motivation in writing my biography was to prevent that from happening (at least to some extent) to our children and grandchildren.
· I believe that subconsciously each of us seeks some form of permanent identity or immortality. That is one of the reasons that the "Everest's" climb Mount Everest. My biography in a way is not just my legacy but my Everest.
· We all want to be understood and, if possible, respected. In writing the biography I sought to have its readers, and especially our family, better understand and recognize some of the efforts and the small accomplishments we made together as Bridget and I climbed our private mountain.
· The last reason was enjoyment. Too often as people grow old they lose purpose and then enthusiasm. To me the biography became a new challenge and goal and the writing actually was a day to day enjoyment (unless I had something more important to do like playing golf or going to the track). I began to feel like I was another Hemingway standing and writing at an upright desk in Key West except that I was sitting in cold Pennsylvania and using a computer.