Musings of a Meanderer

The book is autobiographical. It covers three generations spanning over three continents. It traces the story from my grandparents to my parents and to my life. I am Danish but was born in Taiwan by missionary parents, grew up in Denmark, and lived most of my life in the US. It is a story of a controlling religious upbringing, its impact on my sisters (4) and I and in my case emancipation from that control. It is a story about my love of the sea and working on and with ships. Ultimately it is about finding my voice - a voice denied by the strictures of my father's religious zeal.It is written to the best of my recollection. Photos are included to make the story more real.

The story is not chronological. It meanders through time, across continents, and oceans.

Lykke, my middle name, means happiness, luck, good fortune. My maternal grandmother was Karen Marie Elisabeth Iversen. Part of her genealogy goes back to 1450 to Laurenz Lykkesen who was married to Bodil Boes Daater from Sweden. My grandmother's nephew, Paul Evald Iversen, put together the genealogy. For 34 generations the family name was Lykkesen. It was not until 1831 that it was changed to Iversen. I think my grandmother named one of her sons middle name Lykke. Uncle Niels Lykke J rgensen. My mother chose to keep the name going, naming me John Lykke. It is to honor that generational pedigree that I chose to write under that name,