Life's Journey

Born in 1946, in Murton, a mining village in County Durham, in the aftermath of WWII, Thomas was to find himself growing up in interesting times. Coming from a working-class family where his parents had struggled to make a good home in which to raise their children, he was to follow the same pattern in trying to make life a little easier for his own children. He experienced the educational system of the 1950s and '60s with all the failings encompassed within it and suffered failure at the eleven, plus an examination that would determine his future education. A taste of what school life was during this era is expressed with concern and humor both with equal quantities, including the teaching styles and some of the characters he was to spend his school days with, which are told with affection. As a child, life was good in his eyes, and he appreciated the efforts made by his parents to improve his childhood experience. In his early youth, he found himself having to constantly change course to achieve the goals he had set himself, and this continued throughout his adult life. His desire to achieve good academic qualifications never faltered, despite some of the obstacles that seemed to be in the way of his progress. Married at an early age and while studying for his higher national diploma, he became a father to a beautiful baby girl, which now added to this cocktail of life. Although at times life seemed a constant struggle, it was no different to many other young couples of that era, but there was always time for laughter and fun. Many of these times are reflected in the book and still bring a smile to both Thomas and his family and friends. Life's Journey: Love, Live and Learn is a story many young couples can relate to as they may have experienced the same types of issues in their own life's journey.