"On Second Base" asks the question, "Have you ever regretted the past choices you've made?" Rev. Paul Lombard has regrets in spades as he retreats to sit on second base at the ball field, thinking about the life he might be living had he chosen baseball over religion, over God. Paul is used up. He feels his congregation needs too much of his attention and knows he's not giving his family enough. Amid this midlife angst and mental chaos, he finds his mind wandering down a dangerous path until he stumbles upon actual trouble, the red-haired woman he thought lived only in his fantasies. Dissatisfaction and discontent lurk everywhere for Paul, and these feelings spill over into his job, his marriage and his relationship with his teen-age son. Close to losing everything he cares about, it takes a near-catastrophic event for Paul to find his way forward, proving that even at one's darkest hour, there's still a path back toward the light.

"On Second Base" asks the question, "Have you ever regretted the past choices you've made?" Rev. Paul Lombard has regrets in spades as he retreats to sit on second base at the ball field, thinking about the life he might be living had he chosen baseball over religion, over God. Paul is used up. He feels his congregation needs too much of his attention and knows he's not giving his family enough. Amid this midlife angst and mental chaos, he finds his mind wandering down a dangerous path until he stumbles upon actual trouble, the red-haired woman he thought lived only in his fantasies. Dissatisfaction and discontent lurk everywhere for Paul, and these feelings spill over into his job, his marriage and his relationship with his teen-age son. Close to losing everything, he truly cares about, it takes a near-catastrophic event for Paul to find his way forward, proving that even at one's darkest hour, there's still a path back toward the light. "On Second Base" is a story of regret, suffering, introspection, and the path to redemption. Paul discovers that if he's going to make a change, it's going to have to come from within. As he searches for someone to confide in, he realizes that his wife and close friends have their own issues to deal with. It's not that they don't care, but no one can force him to take a first step. It becomes apparent to Paul and his support system that forgiveness is key, and as he thinks back on life and his regrets, he sees the importance of self-forgiveness. Join Paul on a journey that results in deep reflection, self-improvement, and the discovery of an equation for a better life.

Kathy Johncox, fiction writer, communications professional, world traveler/army brat, coffee-loving Norwegian, daughter, wife, sister, mother and a pretty darned good cook, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She gathered material in two foreign countries and seven states before settling down to write at her current home in upstate New York. She has published a number of short fiction pieces in local newspapers and magazines, and has published two books both in hard copy and Kindle—one, a collection of short stories entitled The Last Generation of Woman Who Cook and the other, a romance novel entitled What A Kiss Can Do, both available on Amazon. She considers herself an eclectic writer, so it's anybody's guess what will be next!