Introductions

INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE

“This is partly about art. It’s partly about exploration and self-discovery—and occasionally, release. It’s part reality-check. But mostly it’s about wanting to know that you’ve mattered in this life.”   —G. Kinnard

Greetings! My name is George Kinnard. Welcome to my personal journal and memoir! I chose the word coalescence for its title, because it refers to the union of diverse things into one body or form. That’s precisely where I’m headed with this blog: I want to knit together the disparate elements of my life into something that will make sense as a whole. I invite you to join me as I labor towards that end.

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ABOUT ME

I’m an Overland Park, Kansas (USA) resident. I’ve been happily married to my wife Patty for twenty-two years now! (We’ve known each other for over thirty years!) I have two sons: Sam who is in his late teens and Brad who is in his early thirties. Sam is from my marriage to Patty; Brad is from a previous marriage. Brad has two sons himself—which would make me a grandfather. (Am I really old enough to be a grandfather?)

Patty and I are at once parents and caregivers for our son, Sam: he has autism and a seizure disorder. Sam is a wonderful young man who is a pleasure to be around—we’re very, very thankful he’s a part of our life! While it’s true that Sam brings us a great deal of joy on a daily basis, his disabilities have a great impact on all three of our lives as well.

I hold a bachelor’s degree from The University of Kansas with a double major of psychology and human development & family life. I also completed a specialty concentration of applied gerontology while at KU. In addition, I’ve done graduate work in psychology through the University of Saint Mary.

For the past several years I’ve been employed in aging/social services in a local senior (independent living) high-rise. I assist low income older adults with accessing programs and services that improve their quality of life and help them avoid premature institutionalization. There’s little chance that I’ll amass great wealth in my present position, but the job satisfies my very strong desire to do meaningful work and make a positive difference in people’s lives. This is my contribution to society.

In addition to my successes, I’ve had many failures. And although I’m very satisfied with the life I have, there are a lot of things that I regret. There’s a lot of events in my life that I’m still sorting out and working through, and that’s a major part of what I’ll be using this blog for.

With all that said, I should probably end here before this welcome turns into an essay. Enjoy my posts! I invite comment!

George Kinnard