Using letters of the alphabet, the author examines the various traits that mankind possesses to some degree. Created with an infinite uniqueness, these traits are woven into the very fabric of our being. It is a greater part of our humanity and directly controlled by God's gift of free will. Human traits with all their power and splendor are the very formation of mankind, but what each of us does with these traits becomes the sum of our existence
Written over many years and enjoyed by family and friends, Jim has decided to publish these limericks for his eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. As Jim has stated, "A limerick is to me a form of poetry, moving to a natural rhythm within a precise framework. It starts with observing a person, place, or event then reaching a conclusion. Tied together with clever rhymes and wrapped in a sense of humor, limericks provide a writer with a challenge to organize facts, manipulate words, and provide the wit to give insight and meaning to what is often mundane."
History has always been a fascinating subject for Jim and World War II intensified that interest. As a teenager growing up during this global conflict, he recalls how it seemed to dominate every aspect of daily life. Jim kept daily scrapbooks of every report from Europe, as his uncle was serving with the 1st Army, and read his letters many times. Jim recalls how he was a hero to the family and upon his safe return spoke with admiration for the German soldier. Jim wrote this book in an effort to tell the story of one such German soldier, Generaloberst Heinz Guderian who experienced a major role in a unique position of leadership, during this cataclysmal upheaval of global civilization. Guderian embodied the dramatic change in mechanized warfare that became known as the Blitzkreig. He developed his Panzers with such immense firepower, mobility and speed, that it revolutionized the concepts of military tactics. His violent confrontations with Hitler in an attempt to divert him to more reasonable decisions put his own life in jeopardy. It may have been an impossible task to change the course of Hitler's destiny and the direction of history, but it was not for lack of trying that he failed.
The Trochilus Bird is a collection of Poetry, with Limericks and reflections added by the author. These works were accumulated over many years and originally intended as a hobby. Since they do capture the authors range of emotions, experienced over