Invisible Heroes

By Keith McDaniel

I could have chosen a sports car or a women half my age, but the year I turned forty, I chose a carousel. This magical carousel gave me an incredible ride into midlife, turning what could have been a period of crisis into one of amazing creativity. Midlife is the time for going home to the Self and giving intense attention to living soulfully. I did not set out to write about transition; I was always going to describe the fascinating process that had brought Chuck Kaparich along on his journey. The metaphor was just too strong. I could not help seeing the similarities of Chuck's pilgrimage and mine. As I observed Chuck's transition, I was experiencing my own. The magic of a carousel spoke to the midlife transitions of two men from different parts of the country. Two kindred souls met and received the gift of the carousel's magic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9781640797987

Book preview

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Invisible Heroes

A midlife journey and the carousel that took me home

by

Keith A. McDaniel

ISBN 978-1-64079-797-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64079-798-7 (Digital)

Copyright © 2017 by Keith A. McDaniel

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, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to my father, an original quiet hero,

and to all our invisible heroes;

may they continue to guide and surprise us!

A special thanks to Sherry Devlin who wrote the original article that appeared in the Missoulian on May 26, 1995. Excerpts from this article are included in italics in Chapters 1 and 2. Once I had read her story, I knew immediately I had to go to Missoula. Sherri’s article along with other stories and pictures of the carousel and its host of carousel characters now appear in A Carousel for Missoula by Sherry Devlin, Thomas Bauer, and John Engen (ISBN 0-9634679-7-2).

Acknowledgments

Icould have chosen a sports car, a woman half my age, or any of the other trappings of a midlife crisis. Instead, the year I turned forty, I chose a carousel. Or perhaps, a carousel chose me. Whoever did the choosing, the carousel gave me a wonder-filled ride into midlife.

Midlife is the time for recovering that part of the Self that really knows how to live. Midlife is the time for going home to the Self and giving intense attention to living soulfully. I did not set out to write about my transition. I was only going to describe the fascinating process that had brought Chuck Kaparich along on his journey.

The metaphor was just too strong. I could not help seeing the similarities of Chuck’s pilgrimage and mine. As I observed Chuck’s transition, I was experiencing my own. The magic of a carousel spoke to the midlife transitions of two men from different parts of the country. Two kindred souls met and received the gift of the carousel’s magic.

From beginning to end, the process has affirmed to me that the midlife transition is a sacred journey. I am grateful to Chuck and his carousel for Missoula. They provided a wonderful signpost along my own way home.

I will forever be indebted to the people who came together to create these stories, caring people who were willing to sit down with a stranger and open up their lives. They told me their stories about the carousel project and its place in their journey’s home. Without them this account would not have been possible.

Thanks first to Chuck and Beth Kaparich who gave birth to a dream, a dream shared by many, now hopefully shared by you. Chuck and Beth have changed for the better the lives of all of us who were touched by their dream. They opened both heart and hearth to me in such warm ways that I will never return to Missoula without feeling that a part of me has a home there.

Thanks also to those who sat through my classes and study groups, listening patiently and providing feedback to sharpen the messages and concepts conveyed in these stories.

Thanks to Elizabeth Winthrop. Her writing provided meaning during a difficult period of my life, a period when many of the ideas expressed here first began to take shape.

Kate Leffew, with much patience, transcribed excerpts of interviews and my early-unorganized reflections. Diane Woodard, a trusted friend, was the first to read a full manuscript. The warmth she brought to the task along with her encouragement for the project was priceless.

Dan Auman, Charlie Walton, and Judith Price each contributed to the editing process in ways that gave me new perspectives on the project. Linda Braswell, a valued friend and colleague, helped with an understanding ear and words of wisdom to keep the project in perspective.

Finally, but most importantly, thanks to my family who yielded the space I needed for writing. The carousel was a part of our family for more than a year, often stealing family time by luring me to a quieter place. My mom listened to newly written pieces and provided the blessings only a mother can give. Brandon, our son, gave up time at the computer for me to work, with rarely any resistance. His gentle spirit feeds my soul.

Georganne, my partner in life and love, kindled my passion for the project. When I told her about Chuck and the carousel, her first question was, When are you going to Missoula? She spent late hours after long days typing and retyping various drafts of the manuscript. I am blessed with and grateful for her constant love and support.

Foreword

When the carousel project began with Chuck’s visit to Spokane, he had no idea how it would change his life. As each of us found a niche in the project and came on board, we had no idea how it would change our lives, but life changing it has certainly been for most, if not all, of those who heard the call of the ponies and joined ranks to create the carousel.

It was great fun to build—and is great fun to be part of—the carousel, but within that fun has been a tremendous amount of learning. We’ve learned how to put together a working carousel from a junked frame, but we’ve also learned much about ourselves and about each other. I often tell people the