Coming Full Circle

By Dave Zimmerman

Jack O Brien, like so many of us, is searching for answers for the meaning of life, wondering, Why am I here? Why is life so difficult? What is my purpose?

As he gets caught up in the misery of circumstances outside his control and is struggling with life, he encounters “people” who will shake him to his core. Unexplained circumstances will lead him to shift his perspective on life and the things that have happened to him. Coming full circle is a culmination of being at the right place at the right time to change the entire trajectory of your life. When you let God and other people in, great transformations can happen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685701192

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Coming Full Circle

Dave Zimmerman

Copyright © 2022 by Dave Zimmerman

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Introduction

Jack O’Brien, like so many of us, is searching for answers for the meaning of life, wondering, Why am I here? Why is life so difficult? What is my purpose?

As he gets caught up in the misery of circumstances outside his control and is struggling with life, he encounters people who will shake him to his core. Unexplained circumstances will lead him to shift his perspective on life and the things that have happened to him.

Coming full circle is a culmination of being at the right place at the right time to change the entire trajectory of your life. When you let God and other people in, great transformations can happen.

Enjoy the journey of Jack and the life lessons he is faced with along the way. This story of a young man, God’s plan, unique people, and experiences that ultimately lead him to find his true love and his true purpose will hopefully encourage you to look at life a little differently.

Chapter 1

Jack climbed the steps two at a time, reached his apartment, whipped open the door, and threw his briefcase on the bed. He pulled his luggage out of the closet, opened it, put it on his bed, and began to pack it.

His roommate heard the commotion, looked in the open door, and yelled out, What’s going on, Jack?

I just quit my job. I’m leaving Chicago.

Leaving Chicago. What brought that about?

"What brought it about? My girlfriend is cheating on me. My boss is cheating on his wife and expects me to keep covering for him. A meaningless job at the Tribune that sucks, and Nam has me fucked up. How’s that for stress!"

He finished packing within minutes; grabbed his portable typewriter, golf clubs, and briefcase; and headed out the door.

His roommate followed him to the top of the stairs and shouted, Where are you going, Jack?

Don’t know. I’m going to get in my car and start driving west! he shouted back.

Thus began the most curious adventure of Jack O’Brien, whose life experiences would prove to be rather exceptional and bizarre, to say the least.

Before his mysterious journey would end, Jack O’Brien would have come full circle.

Chapter 2

Jack left his office at the Chicago Tribune building and walked ten minutes in a frigid March morning to his car with his suitcase, briefcase, portable typewriter, and golf clubs. He unlocked the front car door, put his belongings in the back seat, climbed behind the wheel, and drove out of the Tribune parking lot.

He was still full of anger and resentment, finding out the hard way that his girlfriend was actually cheating on him while they were still dating. Sure, it hurt. He thought this could be the right girl for him. They had a lot of fun together. She helped him get his head back together after Vietnam. It was a lousy feeling. It made him almost sick to think about it.

He didn’t like to dwell on the situation but did anyway. I guess I should have seen it coming. She had become more judgmental to our relationship. She wasn’t talking to me as much. She seemed more critical toward me and a lot more distant from us.

The end came suddenly. She finally admitted she was seeing some other guy. Maybe I should have tried harder, he reasoned.

But I was too pissed. I was too hurt. Maybe I didn’t care for her as much as I thought I did. I know now I let my temper get the best of me, he thought as he drove along.

Jack shouted, Screw her! Screw all of them! I am done.

Then, his boss at the Tribune asking to cover for him—actually lie for his absences to his wife—made Jack sick to even be around him. He willingly gave up writing assignments that were unchallenging as anyone with half a brain could have written.

Jack thought, Screw the Tribune.

He drove up Highway 57 and then east on Highway 80, heading west. He decided then that he would drive to Davenport, Iowa. Jack had no idea where he was heading after that—just west from Chicago. At least it was a start. His grandparents had lived in Davenport before they passed away.

As Jack sat behind the wheel of his 1964 Ford Mustang convertible—the iconic P-51 warbird—his mind flashed back to 1968, the year his dad made the car a gift on his college graduation from Northwestern. His parents weren’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, so the used Mustang was special to him.

His Mustang was bright red with shiny chrome everywhere, a chrome grill in the front, and chrome side rails between the front and back tires. The steering wheel and the door window handles were made of ivory plastic that gave