A Life Well Lived: What a Million Dollars Cannot Buy

By Lewis A. Mills

A Life Well Lived is the sequel to the biography of Dr. Lewis A. Mills What A Million Dollars Cannot Buy. Dr. Mills has distinguished himself in life by overcoming many obstacles that could have hindered him from being the man that he is today, .in this sequel he takes us back through his life from Union South Carolina the United States Navy and his life in Spartanburg, South Carolina. His life story reveals what can happen when one is living a purpose driven life, not afraid to do what he felt was right, acknowledging his weakness and making use of his strengths, the results is A LIFE WELL LIVED,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: May 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781977265517

Lewis A. Mills

Dr. Lewis A. Mills is a retired Navy chief petty officer, a retired purchasing manager of the City of Spartanburg, SC, a community activist, and a servant who has committed himself to the service of people, with the desire to make the world a better place in which to live. 

Book preview

A Life Well Lived

What a Million Dollars Cannot Buy

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2023 Lewis A. Mills

v1.0

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Outskirts Press, Inc.

http://www.outskirtspress.com

Cover Photo © 2023 Lewis A. Mills. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Cover Background © 2023 www.gettyimages.com. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Outskirts Press and the OP logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

SPECIAL THANKS

I want to express my deepest appreciation to my wife, Magdalene Harris Marshall Mills, for all the encouragement and cooperation in assisting me in writing and editing this manuscript for the publisher.

I cannot express in words how much I value your kind and generous spirit, your wise counsel, loving encouragement, and time that you spent helping me to complete this task.

Thank you, Mag!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: MY EARLY YEARS FROM UNION TO CAMPOBELLO

CHAPTER TWO: IN SERVICE TO MY COUNTRY THE UNITED STATES NAVY

CHAPTER THREE: CIVILIAN LIFE BEGINS

CHAPTER FOUR: STUDENT/COMMUNITY ACTIVIST

CHAPTER FIVE: A CHANGED LIFE

DEDICATION

To Ray,

This book is dedicated to my children grandchildren great grandchildren and my deceased wife, Rayma Lenora Simmons Mills, for her loving and caring inspiration toward me for more than sixty-one years of marriage.

She was an inspiring woman of joy with whom to view and share my life, and the humble spirit of love that she demonstrated toward the children and others was truly amazing. Even during her sickness, she never allowed her spiritual connection and faith in God to wander. She was a model of Christian womanhood that goes beyond description in words.

I valued her opinion and if she was able to read this sequel to the first book before it goes to press, I am sure she would say, It’s OK, Lewis.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

-Oscar Wilde

Thanks. Ray

RIP

FOREWORD

Dr. Lewis A. Mills, a longtime dedicated minister of the Gospel, shares the journey of his life with revelations of the good and the bad, the right and the wrong and successes as well as failures. What courage this man exhibits as he opens his life up to us all, so we can know from whence this man came and how he, by the grace of God, matured to the man he is today. It is an interesting journey from childhood to senior adulthood.

Dr. Mills begins with his childhood of challenges including poverty, racism, family and economics. The active role of his father in his life with the family is strong as he strives to find ways to provide for his family. And the strength of his mother and her wisdom is evident, holding the family together as her husband did what was necessary for familial survival. The life of his father seems to have provided a tenacious model that taught Dr. Mills that you can make it if you don’t give up. Facing constant struggle, Dr. Mills discovered the golden nugget of self-discipline. His father’s discipline and ability to focus on what really mattered was a learning example for Dr. Mills. Growing up on a farm provided Dr. Mills with the kind of work ethic that would follow him for the rest of his life. He writes about his experiences as an employee at the Jackson Farm, the Sloan Construction Company and at a local service station.

Even though the schools were inferior due to the lack of updated books and equipment, Dr. Mills, as a child, developed a thirst for knowledge. Learning was exciting and nurturing. However, Dr. Mills was not any different than many kids; he tried the system and got into trouble even to the point of being suspended.

Teachers and administrators were encouraging, smart and strict, determined to make him and other students somebody.

Before graduating from high school, Dr. Mills enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of seventeen. It appears to be one of the best decisions of his life, as it may have been a turning point in his life. The military exposed him to this big world where much is to be learned and there are new horizons to be explored. His experiences taught him about another level of discipline, a work ethic and responsibility. He discovered that he did not really know himself, but quickly began to discover who he really was. I think it is safe to say that Dr. Mills became a man in the United States Navy. On the negative side, while in the military, Dr. Mills developed a drinking habit. He later married his wife, Rayma, with the idea that marriage would help him to control his wildlife habits but to no avail. However, in time marriage gave Dr. Mills a greater desire to do the right thing, which was greatly influenced by the Christian character of his wife.

Dr. Mills’ book, A Life Well Lived (What A Million Dollars Cannot Buy), reflects his willingness to be transparent, so others can see the struggle behind the man. Young preachers, church members and others sometimes do not realize what it took for pastors to get where they are. Pastors are human; therefore, they are subjected to the challenges of life like everyone else. It is all about what you do with the cards you are dealt in life. By the grace of God, Dr. Mills made the best of the situation. He made some bad choices, but he made the right choices at the right time. Dr. Mills’ life is indicative of how God can take us where we are and by His grace, guide us to a place of dignity and celebration.

It is my hope that many will read this book. It was written from the heart by a man of wisdom and deep conviction. Learn how he overcame many obstacles and endured many things beyond his control. Read it all, because there very well may be a gold nugget in it for you.

Thank you, Dr. Mills, for sharing your life with us.

Dr. Benjamin D. Snoddy, Pastor

Mount Moriah Baptist Church of Spartanburg, Inc., Spartanburg, SC

Board of Director, Morehouse School of Religion at ITC

Immediate Past President, Baptist Educational and Missionary

Convention of SC

Assistant Dean, National Baptist Congress of the NBC, USA, INC.

Note: This foreword is borrowed from the first book What A Million Dollars Cannot Buy.

INTRODUCTION

The Dawn of Life

How do you start all over again? Dawn comes at the beginning of each new day. And each new day brings with it its ups and downs. The same can be said for each new life. The dawning or beginning of life is birth, and each year of growth brings with it challenges that are difficult to overcome.

For me life has not been easy. However, it has not been any different than for other individuals that I know. But for me, Life has brought with it challenges that have been difficult to overcome. It has brought sorrow as well as joy and it is these experiences that led me to use the title, "What a Million Dollars cannot Buy" for my first book, and A Life Well Lived for this sequel.

Figure one. Me at Sixteen

As I indicated in my first book, I believe if I had been the son of a millionaire, I would not have been able to achieve some of the things that I’ve accomplished in my life.

Commitment and discipline became a driving force for me. I learned early how to respect authority and the law. The words obedience, respect and loyalty became keywords in my vocabulary. They kept me focused and put me in a position to live a life that was character-building by not yielding to and avoiding pitfalls that were always available to me—issues that could have easily destroyed me and my family.

From early childhood I always tried to live a respectful life, honoring my family and myself. During my military service and after my retirement I continued to focus on honor and respect. These became even more important to me because of my involvement in serving the community in the city of Spartanburg.

I learned how important it is to live your life governed by the principles of doing what is right, and being honest in your dealings with others as you go through life.

I hope this book will be an inspiration to some who have reached a point in their lives where they feel they do not have it all together and are ready to just give up. My encouragement to you is: "Keep going and don’t give up, because you can make it."

As you read this book, you will discover that life was not easy for me. I had my trials, my frustrations, my fears and disappointments and even deaths. But I learned from those experiences that life is made up of a series of difficulties, ins and outs, hills and valleys and you must learn how to maneuver through all of them. Nothing comes easy, and no matter what you are going through, approach challenges with the attitude that you can make it!

CHAPTER ONE

MY EARLY YEARS FROM UNION TO CAMPOBELLO

1934 – 1952

My Beginnings in Union County, S.C.

As a youngster, most of us don’t think of our parents as having a life before us, and I was no different, I don’t recall ever thinking about my parents having a life before me. I suppose it is the way young people think. They think life begins with their own births. But, of course, my parents, like all parents, lived a full life before I was born.

They had a history every bit as exciting and important as mine. They had stories of their own that should be told, and some of their stories became family legends. Some of