This is a story about a boy named Patrick, born in the American heartland during the Great Depression. His story covers his formative years, from a ten-year-old boy to a young man of thirty. This fictitious novel is inspired by actual events and experiences from the lives of the author and others. Patrick is a fighter who learns to fight more effectively with words, but he never loses his fighting spirit. He becomes a scholar after learning the value and importance of education from his father, a man who had to earn money and was unable to finish high school yet was committed to a lifetime of self education through reading. Patrick loves God but often feels unworthy until God touches his heart and sets him on the path of "e;Pursuing the One Thing Necessary."e; We are all on this path, whatever we may believe. Don't get lost in the weeds!