Book Reviews
Empty
Hours
by
William
E.
Crocker
Poetry
with
feelings
about
situations
and
people
who
have
come
the
author's
way
William Crocker is known, first, as a follower of Jesus; then, as a lover of family, an advocate for children and as a caregiver for those in need. Many other titles apply to him, but these are foremost.
He was born in Flowing Well, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1927, as the third child in a family of ten. Though church was rarely attended, his mother (the child of missionaries to India) taught her children well. All ten grew up following Jesus and having meaningful relationships with Him.
Life was hard and Bill longed for an education. The Book of Knowledge provided his nightly bedtime reading. In his early twenties he went to the gold fields of the Yukon, and while burning magazines for warmth, he spied an ad for "opportunities in Southland colleges." He packed his gear, headed south for an education and vowed that he would "never be cold again!"
After marrying his wife, Grace, in 1954, he began his career in education--as a teacher and an elementary school administrator. He also became the father of four children - three girls and a boy. During those years there were many attempts to write, but much was lost or scraped before it could be enjoyed by others.
In 1986, he retired from education hoping to carry out those dreams of writing and enjoying the solitude he craved. However, fate stepped in and provided him with another career, and he spent the next twenty years as an almond farmer in Northern California. Life on those eighty acres was busy and fulfilling but left little time for the writing that he longed to do. His desire to spend the rest of his years on the ranch was impossible; so he retired again.
In 2006 he settled in Chico, California, where he is busy enjoying his grandchildren, and, finally, getting back to his pen and paper where he can share his inmost feelings. He has given generously to all those around him throughout his life; and now, he shares his soul with you, his readers.
He is more than special to me; he is my life. --from
foreword by Grace
