John's Next Step

The average age of a Peace Corps volunteer is 26 years old.  I’m in the 7% of volunteers over 50.  Let’s just say I’m more than twice and less then thrice the average.  As I write this I still have my normal computer job, living pretty much the typical middle class life in suburbia outside of St. Louis Missouri. Each person is unique so nobody is really “typical”.  I have some quirks and experiences that are atypical.  Most profoundly, I lost my dear wife, best friend and best person I ever knew deeply.  Not lost exactly, I saw her die peacefully at home December 2012 after a long illness that she did not deserve.  She accepted God’s plan and offered her suffering even as she had a difficult time though it all. Before my wife became seriously ill we volunteered together for the local Red Cross Disaster services and for our local St. Vincent de Paul Society (a Catholic charity to the poor that is typically based in the local parish).  We were going to do the Peace Corps togethe