Back Days – The Legacy

The Gods Are Crazy–and So Am I

If someone had told me when I was young what an extraordinary life awaited me, I wouldn’t have believed it. I did not think I would go through the spin cycle repeatedly. But I did. It was my own fault. You see, I have an insatiable curiosity. I’ve always had a deep passion for understanding the world and everything in it as well. So the last thing I ever wanted to do was settle down to a boring job and live contentedly brain-dead like so many people do.

Dreams

There were a few dreams I had when I was a kid. I dreamed of driving a big truck like my brother and working in radio like my father. I managed to do both. And those are only two of many careers I’ve had over the years.

Following Jesus

In my younger days I wrestled with my faith. By the time I was a teen I believed “we are called” to “spread the world” and “get people saved.” It was a very Southern Baptist teaching. I became a Methodist for a bit in High School. In the Air Force I was introduced to the Charismatic Movement and eventually settled in the Assemblies of God church.

But when it comes to religion, I had problems. I was up and preaching at times and at other times I was “drankin’ and ‘cursin’ and all that kind of badboy stuff. Bouts of the latter came after something in church wound up frying my poor little heart. Those little heart frying events eventually led me to walk away entirely–way later than I should have.

Enlightenment

After leaving my position as Program Director at a little West Texas radio station, KBSN, I got a job in Fort Worth at a manufacturing plant. By the end of that year, however I was back home, trying to figure out what to do next. My other interest was politics. I decided to become a U.S. Congressman. That idea was a little hairbrained but it led me to College. I loved college. Like everything else in my life it was an up and down thing but I got my BA in History with a minor in Government in 1989. I took some other classes later. College and what I learned there has had the most influence on me than any other thing in my life.

Bad Luck

When it comes to employment I never stuck with anything for very long. Most of the jobs I had lasted no more than a year or two. Some only lasted a month or a few months. There were legit reasons for my jumping around and I had lots of bad luck. For example, in 2002 I landed a job at a flight school in Nacogdoches, Texas. I really hoped to finally earn my pilot’s license. Just four weeks after I started there the school closed. Lovely. That’s how life went for 63 years.

Family

My family life was chaotic. When I was a child we had a typical early 1960s family. I was the third of four, an older brother and sister and a younger sister. My dad had a stable job. My mother was always a housewife. We had some good times.

Everything changed when my older brother and sister, eight and nine years older than me, reached their teenage years. Once they got their driver’s licenses they started “running off,” as my mother put it, and got involved with people who were not good influences. My brother started drinking heavily. My sister became pregnant, leading to a shotgun wedding. Her new husband was the craziest and least responsible person I have ever known.

My older siblings eventually moved out. It was just me and my little sister at home. She just stayed out of the way and I went through various episodes of doubt and depression. Conditions at home was not good, life at school sucked, and I drug my ass through my teen years very reluctantly.

Airman

I’d already quit school when the Air Force came knocking. I answered. For a little over a year I was an Airman. Things happened, though, and I was back home, still 18 years old. I did some religious stuff and some jobs and eventually found myself an assistant manager at Ken’s Pizza in 1977.

True Love

In October of that year a young girl walked into the pizza parlor looking for a job. The moment I saw her I instantly and completely fell in love. Amazing, but true. She got the job. The following June she became my wife. Since then, through all my ups and downs and every crazy experience, she has been by my side. Over 47 years so far as I write this.

Us and the Kids

In 2003 my wife and I became active fosterparents. We cared for several children over a couple years, two of which we eventually adopted, along with their sister who had been in another home. My wife had a good career so bumbling Ted became a home parent. Hardest job I ever had. Learn all about those years in the bio.

Wordsmith

The last thing I wanted to mention here is that of all the things I’ve “done,” what a have been is a writer. I’ve worked many, many places. All the while, I have been writing something or other. Evidence of my writing is found online in various places and in the three books I currently have listed on Amazon.

Finishment

It’s been a pretty long life. My parents, my brother, my older sister, and her husband have all passed away. My younger sister still lives in town, and we speak occasionally. After everything I’ve done I am now living on borrowed time, says the doctors. I live a quiet life here in the woods. I thus have the time (Lord willin’ and the crick don’t rise!) to finish this biography. I guess we’ll see.

I hope I have sparked your curiosity. My story is truly unique. I don’t claim to be special but I do know I’m very different. The life I’ve lived is far from ordinary. Now, head to the first chapter of my story and discover what I mean.

Ted Gresham, July 2025