MJ-Way

Proud of both the Men’s and Women’s USA Olympic Hockey team. This is both their third gold medal but this is the first time they both won gold medals in the same year 2026. USA! USA!! USA!!! GOLD

…The summer of 1976 was a great experience for me. I was able to reconnect with my family and friends. My younger brother even started working at the medical center as well and was working on obtaining a Surgical Technicians Certification from Mercy College while he worked as an orderly in the Emergency Room. We worked different shifts but I was told by his colleagues they enjoyed working with him. I would reconnect with him when I could and I did let him know I was proud of him getting into the Surgical Technician Program at Mercy College so fast. From what I heard, they only took those students with high aptitudes based on several different entrance exams and he obviously did well on them. My coworkers could not believe we were brothers. He was much taller, lean, blue eyes with blonde hair, and a personality to match his looks.

…The Nursing Supervisor of our ER, (a hardened Navy nurse) I believe was one of the positive influences in his life. Every time she saw me she made sure to tell me about him. I was even surprised to find out that by the end of the summer he had received his certification, and could begin working as a Surgical Technician in our Operating Rooms. I was even more astonished when he told me he was leaving the medical center and took a job with a leading manufacturer as a Modeler. I knew he had the skills to do just about anything he put his mind to, and I had a good feeling he was going to make a whole lot more money than what he was making at the medical center as a Surgical Technician. I was happy for him. I believe he had found his niche.

… He was really loved here in the short six months he worked at the Detroit Medical Center. I would be asked for updates on him almost daily. I had to let them know he was doing well and was even talking about getting married to his high school sweetheart. They were eventually married in 1977. After being married, he joined the Airforce and began raising his family in Yuba City, California. The years just seem to melt away looking back. They fold one into the other. But with all the celebrating and just having the time to see my family and friends the summer of 1976 meant a lot to me. It kept me grounded. I would be enrolling in my last two community college courses in the fall of 1976. After graduating with my Associates Degree in Liberal Arts, I would have to decide if the educational quest should continue, or did I need to choose another path. My Life’s Journey To Be Continued…………….

The Lenten Season has begun. After beginning to write in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis, December 2020, this was my 130th vignette. I am taking a much needed sabbatical. Thank you to my many readers for following along. May God bless all of you. Stay grounded in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

… For the first time in awhile I felt if I was moving in the right direction. I was surrounded by coworkers who were all doing the same thing. Everyone in this department was working on fulfilling degree requirements of some kind. We got to eat lunch together and it made for some lively conversations. In my current position I had to work 2 weekends in a row with one weekend off. I didn’t mind it because it left me with days off during the week which I used for school. I was also lucky as well because on weekends I could catch a mass at one of the many Catholic churches in our immediate vicinity. My work schedule was flexible enough for me to attend during my lunch hour. I made sure to make these services when I worked the weekends. I always felt welcomed there. I often saw other medical staff their as well.

…Some of those churches are still open today. I remember the feeling of walking into Sweetest Heart of Mary, or even St Anne, one of the oldest churches in Detroit, with their belles peeling to summon the congregation to the service. It was awesome. The organ music filling the church, and the churches themselves were so huge and beautiful inside. I felt minuscule. If it was the Christmas season the church’s would all be decorated appropriately for the season., and the same with Easter. Over the years, I had noticed that larger crowds always seem to come to those seasonal services. Saint Anne is now officially called: “Basilica of Sainte Anne de Detroit” , and my nephew was married in the Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic which I remember it being an incredible service.

…Those churches are still open today and just as beautiful. I am hoping my grandsons can experience them in their day as well. A living testament to the community that built them and continues to support them. I have only mentioned two here but I also got to experience several others, but their congregations were small when I attended, and they maybe struggling to stay open now. St. Josaphat, St. Hyacinth and St. Albertus. I had a chance to visit the services in these churches as well. The architecture is phenomenal. Inside the church, the artwork, the marble, and the craftmanship is an absolute wonder. Many of these churches can be searched and viewed on line. The Archdiocese of Detroit is in the middle of a church reorganization throughout the Archdiocese. I hope these churches can stay open or at least find another useful purpose.. …. My Life’s Journey To Be Continued…. PSALM 4

…It was festive in the summer of 1976 at the Detroit Medical Center where I had decided to delay my school studies, no classes this summer, I wanted to enjoy what time I could spend with friends and family. In addition to our nation celebrating the bicentennial, Detroit was celebrating 275 years of being a city, and many activities were being scheduled for the riverfront. Detroit was alive in the summer. I made sure to enjoy every bit of it. It wasn’t unusual for the medical students to spend time at Trappers Alley in Greek Town listening to what ever local band was playing, and enjoying the restaurants as well. The river front hosted ethnic festivals every weekend, and I made sure to attend the Polish and German festivals. The beer was unbelievable as was the food. The people were dancing, the music was festive, and people seemed very happy here.

….I loved the festivals because of the crowds and it wasn’t uncommon for some young woman to grab me and drag me to the dance floor wanting me to dance with her. I always gave the dance a chance but I wasn’t a “Polka King.” I did my best to keep up with my new partner but my heart just wasn’t in it. I think I provided them a good laugh, and they questioned my ethnicity. “How could I be Polish and not want to Polka?” I assured them I was 100% Polish American but my taste in music was a little less Polka. I also had to assure them I enjoyed dancing with them, and thanked them for asking. That usually got me assorted reactions. I don’t believe they thought I was sincere.

… I would usually reconnect with my friends where ever they were selling beer. They loved beer and it never seemed to affect them like it did me. I was ever so cautious about how much I consumed. The German beers were especially strong but my friends never seemed to have enough. The night festivals were a fantastic way to meet people and we had no problem with that. The bicentennial celebration coinciding with Detroit celebration made for a unique fireworks display put on by the J.L. Hudson Company. This year was the Detroit -Windsor Freedom Festival celebration sponsored by Canada (who celebrated Canada Day), the City of Detroit celebrating their 275 birthday, and our nations 200 year Bicentennial Once I found my friends, they looked as if they had been enjoying their beers and were quick to point out that my dancing needed much improvement. I could only laugh.

…We will be celebrating our nations semi-quincentennial, marking two and a half centuries (250 years). I believe as a nation with our current leadership, if we continue in our conservative stewardship through the 2026 elections we will begin to reap the benefits of policies enacted to enhance our economy. I have already experienced it at the gas pumps were the price per gallon of gasoline decreased to under $3.00 a gallon. With my supermarket discounts, it’s under $2.00 a gallon. The naysayers are just that, naysayers.

…I believe in a free market economy, with very little government regulation, however, there are those who believe the opposite. They are entitled to their views. That’s what makes America a great place to live. I only pray to my God, Jesus Christ, our discourse is civil, nonviolent, and of course, the conservatives gain more seats in both houses. That would definitely be prayers answered in 2026. In the meantime I will celebrate a little bit older, a little bit wiser, and muster the same amount of enthusiasm as I did in 1976 for our nations’ 250 semi-quincentennial fiesta. ….My Life’s Journey To Be Continued….. Ephesians 1:7

File this under, “The Return of the Barbary Pirates.”

… My new coworkers were glad to hear my story but still wondered why I chose to work here at the medical center. I had to explain what had happened in the factory and UPS. Also, how the chance encounter with a nursing student in the parking lot of a community college lead me here. When I mentioned her name they all smiled. She was well known at the medical center in a good way.

… She was known at the local high schools because she was a voice for the medical center’s Respiratory Therapy program where she would try to recruit students on career days to the medical center. She actually did that on her off days and the hospital administration held her in high regard because of it. My coworkers had heard she was now a Registered Nurse and told me I was lucky to run into her. I thought so too.

…Just as I was wrapping up the story, our supervisor appeared wanting two of us to make a run to the basement of the old civil war hospital, and bring up an old operating room table. Ernie was quick to volunteer himself and me. Our supervisor wanted it to be brought to the decontamination area where it would be cleaned. We would know it was the one he wanted because it had a green surgical sheet over it. Ernie looked really excited as our supervisor handed him the keys to the area. I couldn’t help noticing on a large ring of keys were Skelton keys. They looked very old. “Wait to you see this place,” my coworker grabbed a cart and we headed out.

…Ernie was really motivated as he pushed a cart through the Hospital Stores to a large double door to what looked to be the basement of the civil war hospital. This old hospital was connected to the Hudson Building. I would find out much later that all the buildings in the Detroit Medical Center were interconnected. I was amazed by the size of the doors and how he knew what key to use, and the ease he used them. He did this before I thought. When he swung the doors open I could not believe what I was looking at.

…This was a surgical amphitheater. I felt an eeriness but also an overwhelming sense of complete awe. Every isle was filled from the very top of this auditorium to the surgical theater floor with medical equipment. Ernie was completely ecstatic. He was quick to point out that his parents wanted him to go to Medical School but this to him is where the 21st century medicine will be headed. He’s going to study bio- engineering, and he wants to develop the technology that will advance the field of medicine significantly. He informed me that he had arranged all of this equipment with the oldest equipment being stored in the top isles of the auditorium and then digressing in age as you worked your way to the bottom.

…The operating room tables were stored on the floor of the surgical theater. The one our boss wanted, like he said, was covered in a green surgical sheet. Ernie smiled when he saw it. He informed me that this one is a museum piece. It was made by a company named Harvard and Ernie informed me it was manufactured in Ohio in the 1880’s. It was made of Iron, wood and leather. The craftsmanship was amazing. It had stainless steal gears, handles, and wheels, that could maneuver the table in any direction or angled degree. The leather padded cushions looked brand new. It looked like it had never been used.

… This was going to a museum in Ohio. It was in extremely good condition for its age. Ernie continued to inspect it, and while he did that I looked at all the equipment that was being stored here. It had to represent at least a century, but better yet, Ernie was the one who kept track of all it. He said once a year they would scrap some of it, and the good pieces would be held. I could understand his fascination. We loaded the table onto the cart heading back to where it would be decontaminated. >>>My Life’s Journey>>>TO BE CONTINUED>>>> Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23

… It was an enjoyable whirlwind. That would best describe my last two years of high school. I asked my coworkers if I should continue with this story and they all shook their heads yes. I informed them that one of my friends was working at a Coney Island owned by the Keros family. They also ran the Coney Island on Lafyette Street in Detroit. He was able to get me a job there in the fall of my junior year, and I returned the favor when my Vocational Teacher in my senior year of high school enrolled me in a coop program working for the Strelinger Corporation after school. I put in a good word for him and they hired him. They started him working the sales desk. The jobs were only part-time but they paid way better then the Coney Island. It gave us money to fix our cars and drive them.

… I completed all my requirements to graduate in my junior year and could choose classes I was interested in my senior year. I chose two vocational classes and loved them both. The classes had all the newest technology and I learned quite a bit. The first class was Graphic Arts and it met for one hour and a half. We printed the school paper and all the emblems the school used at its many functions. I learned how to set up printing plates for the large Heidelberg press which then in turn would print the papers. I learned to silk screen and run the smaller presses as well. We used cameras to take pictures and burn the images onto plates used to print. It was a sophisticated process and our Instructor was awesome.

… The second class was an Industrial Metal Shop class and there I learned much about metallurgy. I was taught to weld which included: Arc Welding, Tig and Mig Welding, Gas Welding, and using Gas Iron Cutting Blow Torches. We also used the new metal lathes to make cutting tools for machining. I learned to read a micrometer and how it was to be applied for the correct thickness of cutting. The metal lathes were more like milling machines but much more sophisticated. I enjoyed this class immensely. It was all hands on. My Instructor was also my co-op Teacher and I would tell him how my work at Strelingers was going. I had to tell him that once the union people were gone for the day they would have me drive their brand new GM El-Camino to deliver parts to some rather large corporations. He smiled.

… I really enjoyed that but some of the companies I delivered to took a long time to get somebody to sign for the package I was delivering. They would want me to just drop it off but Strelingers was insistent that I not drop a package off without getting a signed receipt. I had to go toe to toe with a guy that looked like he was hopped up on drugs and booze and wanted me to just drop it off. I had informed him I couldn’t do that and he needed to sign for it. He told me to go to hell and I informed him that was no problem. I’ll just take the package back where it came from. He blew a gasket but by then a supervisor came over to me and signed for it. There were quite a few places like this I delivered to and I wondered how the work got done if the employees were stoned-high, usually alcohol, narcotics, or both.

..My Instructor told me to be careful and always ask for the supervisor. He would speak with the Strelingers Co-Op contact about me, and what I was experiencing. He informed me they really liked me and hoped I would stay with them after I graduated. Speaking of graduation: We became the first class of Sterling Heights High School to graduate in June of 1973. I couldn’t believe it went so fast, but I had plans to continue my education, and watched what my older brother had accomplished while I finished up in High School. He would be the beacon I would follow. I felt he always gave me great advice. He was completing his Associates Degree in Liberal Arts at Macomb Community College, while working, and was transferring to Oakland University to complete his Bachelor of Arts Degree. I thought that was awesome. My parents did too. …. My Life’s Journey To Be Continued…. …………………………..1 CORINITHIANS 12:12-20

…I got to pick my classes and I wanted to make sure that all the required classes I needed for graduation were taken in my junior year. The only class I couldn’t take was a Government Civics class which had to be taken in the senior year. I was pumped and looking forward to going to my new high school. I could have taken the school bus but I wanted to walk. It wasn’t that far from my house, maybe a mile or two. I remember the impression it gave me seeing it for the first time coming out of a field with the morning dew on my boots. It looked like a castle I thought sitting behind the Edison Power Line Towers. The Edison Corridor stretched for miles both north and south in front of it. The sun rising out of the east reflected off of the facade making it look like a metal and gold brick fortification. I was impressed.

… I would be the first graduating class from this new high school. Excited, I began walking faster as buses of students were unloading in the front entrance which was clearly marked in large white letters on Gold Brick , STERLING HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL. The WCS emblem in a blue circle was next to it.( Warren Consolidated Schools) I was walking towards the entrance when I saw a young man with long blond hair and a coffee can standing behind one of the buses. Students were running up to him and looked to be giving him money. He would pass them something out of the coffee can once they gave him their money. My first reaction was he’s dealing drugs and now I had to find out. I walked up to him and questioned what types of drugs was he selling? His answer, “red devils man, you ain’t a NARC(narcotic undercover police) are you?” I shook my head no but I told him I don’t have to be.

…I explained to him the minute those kids you sold the barbiturates to start passing out and throwing up, your name will be well known by the administration here, and it well could be the “Pusher Man.” He told me to go F myself. “We shall soon see,” I said with a smile. I wasn’t even in the door of the school and some young woman was throwing up while her friend held her hair. The buses pulled away and she was now pointing at the guy with the coffee can. He looked like a deer in the headlights of a car not hidden by the busses any longer. A teacher was in quick pursuit. I didn’t stick around for the excitement and made it quickly to my new Drafting Class. My classroom was brand new and it actually had large windows. It had that new car smell too! Our teacher said to sit where ever we wanted and I made sure to sit by one of the windows. Perfect for the natural light to illuminate my drafting table, and for me to see what was happening outside. I was liking this new school already.

… Ambulances started pulling into our driveway and I felt sorry for the kids who ingested the “Reds.” Not a good way to remember your first day of class in a brand new school. The police were at the school as well and I could only imagine what was happening to the “Pusher Man.” I ran into some of my friends between classes, and they asked me had I heard what had happened? It seemed they had kids passing out in their classes. I let them know I saw an idiot selling Red Devils, and tried to convince him it was a bad Idea but after he was assured I wasn’t a NARC he told me off. I watched one of the teachers run after him when someone pointed him out. I saw police cars pulling into the driveway from my classroom so I believe they must have him. My friends were amazed that I had windows in my classroom. Apparently, they didn’t have any in the classrooms on the second level. … My Life’s Journey To Be Continued….. Proverbs 3:1-12

…I believed I was monopolizing the conversation. I wanted to know where my new coworkers were from, and what schools they attended. Two were brother and sister who grew up in the Brewster Douglas Projects across from the medical center. They were both graduates of Cass Technical High School, and premed majors at Wayne State University. They were quick to point out that Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and Lily Tomlin all grew up in the Brewster’s. They seemed very proud of that. I informed them I had seen Stevie Wonder in concert at the Olympia with his Wonder Love Band and it was an amazing concert in 1974. I paid 14 dollars for two tickets, and my date thought I was the greatest taking her to see “Stevie.” He was one of her favorite musicians.

…My friends smiled and then Ernie spoke up informing me that he had graduated from Cass Technical High School as well. He was from Southfield, but his parents worked with the Medical Center and University. He was enrolled and graduated from Cass Tech. They wanted him to get a good education and thought it to be a better school than the High School in Southfield. He enjoyed it. He was elected to the student council, and played on their football team. He was also enrolled at Wayne State University, and was hoping to get into their Law School after completing his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. He was admitted to Wayne State University on an academic scholarship. His parents had hoped for him to go into premed but he was more interested in the business world.

…My other coworker was nicknamed “wild George” and he was definitely an anomaly. He graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School. His personality preceded him. He was overly enjoying working at the medical center and pulled pranks on everyone he came in contact with. Our supervisor was constantly correcting his behavior. “Wild George” always promised to be better. One day I saw him wearing a gorilla mask and white hoodie taking supplies to one of the nursing units. He rode one of the robot elevators, which we were not allowed to do, and scared the hell out of one of the nurses. He exited the elevator undetected. He then turned around, handing her the supplies the unit requested, and after seeing him she screamed. The nursing supervisor happened to be at that unit and “wild George” was quickly reprimanded. Our supervisor put “Wild George” on notice. He was going to be assigned to the decontamination room were he would have little access to other hospital staff.

… I got to know him pretty well, and he was definitely an extrovert. He held parties at his house in Pole Town and many of the hospitals students would gather there on weekends. He loved that house and did everything in his power to make sure he had one of the best stereo systems in it. I was told he picked up the house real cheap and for a young man in his early twenties the pride of ownership showed. I was glad for him. He seemed to have a lot on the ball. He was also enrolled at Wayne State University on a scholarship in Chemistry. I was shocked when he came in one day pretty upset. He announced that the city tore his house down by mistake. His beautiful stereo system was buried and crushed by the ruble. Everything he owned was buried in the debris. It took him another three months to sort out how the city was going to compensate him. The medical center put him up in the medical apartments and I thought that was real nice of them to do that. They liked him.

…Finally, John and Emma, both from the Brewster Projects were not following the scholastic world. They were graduates of Murray-Wright High School and both liked the party life style. John liked listening to Richard Pryor and would often quote his jokes. He gave away the punch line by laughing before he delivered it. The one joke I remember to this day was the famous, “That Boy Could Lie.” I repeat it only for posterity: Two men stopped to urinate over the side of a bridge crossing a river. The one man said to the other, ” that water is cold,” the other man shook his head yes and said out loud to his friend, “and it’s deep too!” I remember it only because I had heard later in my career that John was killed in a gang shoot out. It was a shock to me. He seemed to be fun loving and humorous. Emma stayed with the hospital and worked as a supply coordinator. She loved working there. I understood that. They made us feel wanted and valuable. John 20

>>>My Life’s Journey To Be Continued>>>>

…The first Junior High School I attended was Hartsig Junior High and I hated it. The kids were spoiled brats, and they acted terrible towards anyone not from their group. I was from Detroit and that didn’t sit well with them. They were from the new neighborhoods that surrounded the General Motors Technological Campus, they acted, and dressed like pompous preppies. I took classes that kept me with the nerds and I enjoyed that. I was lucky I didn’t have that much interaction with them. I was in seventh grade now and this was all a new experience. There were only about twelve other people on our school bus, and because of the distance, about 5 miles, we were always the last to be dropped off after school. I was glad towards the end of the year when I was told we would be going to Melby Junior high school. This school was much closer to our house, and the kids ended up being a whole lot nicer.

…I made friends quickly at Melby Junior High School, and I enjoyed it. I played on the basketball and football teams but was injured in football. That ended my athletic career there. I still followed the teams, but any extra curricula activity I would have to walk home, and that was at least 5 miles. I still enjoyed the camaraderie here and I always felt welcomed. I was thrown another curve ball as I graduated from ninth grade. I was told instead of going to Cousino High School with my class, about a dozen of us who lived west of the Junior High School would be traveling to Mott High School where we would attend for one year until they built the new Sterling Heights High School. I wasn’t happy about that but had no say in the matter. We would be the Charter Class of the new high school.

…Once again I was being bussed to the other side of the city to start high school. This was not going to be fun at all. I didn’t know anyone in my classes, and the classes I picked I didn’t get them. I had to go to the councilors office to find out why? They ended up fixing my schedule but it gave me two math classes and a wood shop class I didn’t want. When I pointed that out to my councilor he looked annoyed, but realized I needed a history class which wasn’t on my schedule. So I was then put in a history class and one of my math classes was dropped. It took me a week to get my schedule correct. I made the mistake of stopping in the restroom to use the facilities but getting to a urinal was blocked by students smoking. I was finally able to use a urinal and at the same time a look out came in and informed the smokers a teacher was on his way in.

…Cigarettes were flying everywhere as the smokers fled single file out of the restroom. I was finishing up and the next thing I see is a teacher in my face wanting to know was I smoking? I had to let him know I just needed to take a piss but going to this school might make me a smoker for sure. I made a note not to go to the restroom between classes. I thought my new friends would be bored by now listening to my story but they seemed even more interested. Back at my new high school the day just seemed to get worse. Fights were breaking out between students and I couldn’t understand why. Then one of the students in my science class informed me that the greasers, who wore black leather jackets, Cuban heel shoes, slicked their hair back, hated the hippies, and these hippies they were picking on, weren’t the peace loving kind. Fights between these two groups broke out on a regular basis. …MY LIFE’S JOURNEY CONTINUED… ACTS 10:38 … MATTHEW 4:23-25

…My new friends wanted to know all about me and for the first time I realized I hadn’t ever really talked about myself in detail. They wanted to know where I grew up, where was my family, what schools I went to, what music did I like, and why I decided to work here? I started where I grew up because that was easier. Pole Town. The neighborhoods that surrounded these churches because the architecture is so unique some of them still stand today: St. Albertus, Sweetest Heart of Mary, St. Hyacinth, St. Josaphat, and Immaculate Conception. Only the later being torn down for the General Motors, Pole Town Detroit- Hamtramck Assembly Plant. It is now called Factory Zero. That neighborhood was annexed by the city for the General Motors Plant under its’ power of “Eminent Domain.”

…I remember my great-grandmothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, great aunts, great uncles, aunts, uncles all my first and second cousins being together in most of those churches. We celebrated graduations, weddings, and sadly funerals. I informed them of my families most recent funeral of my Grand Father who fought in WWI for the American side and who also migrated to Detroit as a young man from Poland. We walked down Trombley street with his casket as the church bells of Immaculate Conception Church were tolling. His service was held there. His grandsons walked his casket into the church, after carrying it up at least a dozen steps, set it upon a wheeled aluminum bier, and wheeled it into the sanctuary where the Roman Catholic last rites service was performed. He was buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit.

…My new friends were most curious, and asked even more questions. They were familiar with the neighborhoods having grown up in the immediate area, some even attending the schools my cousins and second cousins attended. They wanted to know what schools did I attend? I explained my family lived on the east side of the city and I attended a Catholic School, Saint Basil the Great through the fifth grade. My parents then bought a lot to build a home in Sterling Township which was primarily farms and fields. My mother who grew up in Detroit and graduated from North Eastern Highschool had a friend whose farm she played on in her youth. It was not far from the property her and my father bought to build what would become our new home. I went to schools in the Warren Consolidated School District, two junior high schools and two high schools because of our new location in Sterling Township. …..My Life’s Journey To Be Continued…. Joshua 1:1-9

…I thanked God every time I went to work. I felt I was really welcomed here. This is my home. I am working with people who are all doing the same thing I am doing, and loving it. This hospital was a large 1000 bed teaching facility spread over a number of buildings that were attached at every floor. You could easily walk a mile to get from one end of the complex to the other. Through the years of mergers and acquisitions the hospital system would grow even more massive, and I would get the chance to be part of that expansion. I literally grew up here, and the memories all good. I was born here and later, so would my children. My life’s journey for fourteen years would evolve with the Detroit Medical Center’s expansion.

…I have written other vignettes on my hospital experience as a break from writing the prison chronicles. They were: “From The Beginning,” “The Rookie,” and “Minor Leagues.” I will try not to repeat the experience from those stories but they do represent benchmarks in my growth as a young man at the Detroit Medical Center. The most fascinating thing I felt at this time in my life was the endless possibilities of working here. I could choose anything in the medical field or management to pursue my career. I chose classes that would complete my associates degree but also give me a heads up if I chose to go into the medical field. Even better, I had time to do homework at work as well. It was encouraged as long as my work had been completed. They paid my tuition, and wanted me to be successful.

…I was able to complete mathematics, chemistry, biology, and anatomy by the winter of 1976, two credits shy of meeting the degree requirements. Of all things, I needed to complete a Humanities class. I would do so in the fall of 1977. I didn’t need to rush now. I was enjoying my new job, meeting people, and deciding a career path. I had met a number of employees who had graduated form Detroit’s Cass Technical Highschool, and I found them to be amazing people. They were just as curious of me and wanted to know what prompted me to want to work here. I explained that it was just a coincidence, or spiritual guidance, I believed the latter, I helped a woman with a flat tire. She started asking me questions while I changed it, I felt like she was interviewing me, and she told me all about the Detroit Medical Center. ..My Life’s Journey To Be Continued.. Chronicles 16:8-14