The Three Lights

By Horace H. Johnson

Have you ever experienced something or seen something that you just cannot explain?

If you have, you know the experience stays with you your whole life! It could be a positive or a negative experience, but it’s yours—and the longer you live with it, it becomes an even bigger part of you.

In this book, Horace H. Johnson observes that living for someone or something other than yourself will give you an abundant life. He also observes how important it is to think about all the good things you’ve been given amid life’s obstacles.

Much of the book is devoted to the lessons the author learned growing up, including how football taught him to be a member of a team. He also shares wisdom from family members, including his mother, who said, “If you can’t run your own house, you don’t need one,” meaning, never let anyone come into your home and tell you how to run it.

Join the author as he reflects back on his life and consider the lights in your own life in this inspiring autobiography.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664279704

Horace H. Johnson

Horace H. Johnson is a retired grandfather of seven and a father to five grown men. He served four years in the US Air Force as a police officer before joining the Postal Service, where he worked for twenty-eight years. He served on the Salem, NJ City Board of Education for seven years and eight years on the Salem City Council. He coached several sports as a young father and helped start Fathers United of Salem County to help fathers improve their parenting skills.

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Copyright © 2022 Horace H. Johnson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Horace H. Johnson

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7971-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7972-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7970-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022918250

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/12/2022

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Seeing Three Lights

Part 1: FOUNDATION

Family

Growing Up in Love

Football

Part 2: FAITH

New Horizons

The Bible

Love and Life

Part 3: FREEDOM

Transition and Reflection

Yoga

Something New

I Am Free

Lights Will Guide You Home

Poem by Sarah Johnson

Dedication and Special Thanks

FOREWORD

In 1958 Horace Harry Johnson was born to Roy and Alice Johnson. Like all newborns, he had no control over who his parents would be, the type of living environment, the financial status, or family spiritual beliefs. Interestingly, these factors in life tend to shape us as individuals. So, what if your birth did not position you to be in the ideal situation? Do you decide to give up on life or keep forging ahead to achieve your heart’s desires?

In the Bible, there was a young prophet named Jeremiah who received the word of the Lord. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. – Jeremiah 1:5 This scripture is profound because God made it known to Jeremiah that no matter the earthly circumstances, he found himself to be in, God would be with him throughout his entire life directing his path forward. Do you find this to be true in your life? If not, maybe the signs are all around you, but you have not taken notice.

This happened to Horace. Up until the age of nine, he did not take notice. It was not because he wasn’t born into a spiritual, supportive, and loving family. However, it’s difficult to comprehend God’s plans for our lives. Just like Jeremiah, Horace while young received a metaphoric word from God by the passing of three lights. These three lights essentially became his guide throughout life. Whether it was the birth of his two sons Lamont and Ian, the death of his sisters, brother, and parents, life in the Air Force, taking care of his un-biological sons Jordan, Justin, and Sheandelle, yoga, the birth of his grandchildren (Anthony, Luke, Ethan, Samantha, Savannah, Scarlet, and Santana) or marrying the love of his life, LaWanda, the three lights have been the backdrop that has guided him through.

In the book, Horace gives meaning to each light and provides a collection of life stories that have shaped him into the man he is today at age 64. Although elaborated upon in the book each light in summation has the following meaning:

• Foundation: An integral part of every child’s life that helps shapes them into adults.

• Faith: Belief in God’s never-ending love and grace.

• Yoga: An earthly tool that helps man hear God clearly.

Perhaps after reading this inspirational memoir, you will gain insight and allow yourself to self-reflect. Recognizing that everything has a purpose and that God wants to have an eternal relationship with you.

For he commands His angels with regards to you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. – Psalm 91:11-12

INTRODUCTION

Many of you have heard people make statements about believing in a higher power, good/bad energies, God and/or gods, high/low states of frequencies, and so on, all of which can be summed up in the believing force of nature that is inside all of us, whether it’s beliefs that are rooted in self or otherwise.

Over my lifetime—and now, in my early to midsixties—I have come to settle in my being that there truly is a force on this earth and beyond that is greater than ourselves, looking out for our well-being. Now, amid today’s troubles of several forms of abuse, police brutality, hungry children, homelessness, rape, financial hardships, and more, it is hard for a handful of us to believe such a thing exists. However, when I sit and think of the goodness that exists in the world, I well up with joy knowing that by just believing that someone or something has my best interests at heart, it makes life truly worth living. Ask yourselves this: when was the last time you stopped and thought about the good that has happened to you and/or your loved ones despite all the madness this world has given? I, a husband, son, father, brother, and now grandfather, look back on my life and sit in awe of the driving force in my life that has kept me safe, propelled me into greater, sheltered me from harm, and ultimately raised me up to know that every breath is a gift and every experience is a lesson that holds great value if you take your time to see the beauty in it all.

This book is a mere reflection of my life and how, due to an unexplainable event as a young boy, the right or wrong power of believing can cause one to thrive or falter in life. My beliefs are made up of a combination of my life decisions and experiences, family, faith, and freedom in forgiveness. It has been a wonderful and sometimes heartbreaking journey for me, from growing up in the military to losing my parents and getting a divorce, to remarrying again. I pray that this book is a gentle reminder to my kids, their kids, your kids, and anyone else with eyes and ears to see and hear that life is truly a gift to behold, made of intricate parts worth taking a moment to surrender to so that once you find your footing on what or whom you believe in, the lights will be sure to guide you home into a better version of self, life, and love.

SEEING THREE LIGHTS

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One fall afternoon, a small group of us children were playing kickball in our front yard. This was when we lived at our grandmother’s house on Mannington Yorktown Road. Grandmom’s house faced the street, and our front door was off to the right-hand side of the house. We had a dirt driveway as soon as you came out of the front door. To the right of the driveway was our front yard. The front yard ran from the street to a big oak tree that was off to the right but set to the rear of the house by about twenty or thirty yards. Ten to twenty yards behind that oak tree was our outhouse that butted up against the tree line to the woods. When we were children, our front yard seemed so big; however, seeing it now as an adult, I realize it’s quite small.

The street ran perpendicular to the front of the house, and our house was offset behind the street by five to ten yards. Directly in front of the house was a little dirt walkway that led all the way around the front and to another driveway on the left side of the house. Between the dirt walkway and the street was a line of tall evergreen trees. The trees started at the front of the left side of the driveway up against a ditch that ran the length of our property, down the side of the road, for about forty yards. There were no trees on the right side of the driveway, so there was nothing in front of the front yard. You could see the neighbor’s house across the street about twenty-five yards down the street. Mom loved gardening and had planted flowers all around the front and sides of the house.

When we played baseball, home plate faced the street and was about five to ten yards in front of the oak tree. The pitcher would stand in the middle of the front yard facing the woods and the big oak tree. On summer days, we would lay blankets under that tree and take naps. We played for many hours and days in those woods. In front of the woods were about thirty yards of beautiful green grass. Behind the tree line, directly behind the house, was where Dad had raised pigs. There was also lots of junk that you would not have noticed, but in between the trees, it was there. We made lots of paths in the woods over the years. On this one cool, beautiful day in late September or October (around three or four in the afternoon), I was on first base, facing the woods in the back yard. Suddenly, above the trees in the backyard, appeared these three star-like lights in the