Never Waste the Flowers
Vignettes of life, love, learning, and friendship
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About the Book
The book's opening vignette tells the story of Chris, a seventy-four year old Dutchman, mentor and friend to a co-worker named Peter. They spend a summer together diggging graves at a local cemetery known as "Sunny Acres," where Chris encourages Peter to "Hear the birds sing," and "Never Waste the Flowers." This spirit of practical gentleness sets the tone for the twenty-four vignettes that follow and cover childhood memories, fantasies, and simple life stories.
There is something for everyone in this diverse collection about people and life's simple gifts involving love, learning, friendship, and trust that encourage introspection, particularly your own.
About the Author
Robert L. Smith was born in San Diego, California, graduated from high school in 1942, and inducted into the United States Army in 1943. He served as a company aid man with the 112th Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division in Europe. His awards include five battle stars for combat in the European Theater of Operations, a purple heart for wounds incurred in Germany, a Bronze Star, Combat Medical Badge, and Good Conduct Medal.
Following discharge from the Army he attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and U.C., Berkeley under the GI Bill of Rights where he obtained a BA and Master's degree in Sociolgy and Criminology. Following graduation he began a fifty year plus professional career dedicated to the administration and reform of juvenile and criminal justice at the local, State, and Federal levels. Special awards include a Fulbright Scholarship and Winston Churchill Fellowship to Great Britain, Visiting Expert at the United Nations Far Eastern Institute in Fuchu, Japan, and leader of six professional visits of Criminal Justice Experts to China from 1979-1990, and one to the Soviet Union in 1989.
He retired in 2000 to devote time to his new found interest, "story telling," and with his wife of fifty-eight years, Fran Williams, coauthored three books: "Medic!", The Carnival of Animals, and Time Out.
He and his wife continue to reside in Berkeley, CA with their many animal friends, and to collaborate on writing stories they enjoy sharing with others.