INTRODUCTION by Patrick Naville Amazon Best-Selling Author August 1, 2017 "I was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal prostate cancer and was given 12 to 18 months to live." This is the first thing I read when an old childhood friend of mine, whom I hadn't seen in nearly 50 years, sent me a copy of his autobiography, Walking Through the Leaves of Time, and asked if I'd take a look at it. I knew him as "Denny Knable" back in New Albany, Indiana when we were kids. "Dr. Sir Dennis M. Knable" is his official handle these days. After reading his story, you'll know that Dennis worked hard and earned every bit of respect that title affords him. We went to different schools, but our families knew each other, primarily through church functions. We think there might possibly be some blood relations between us also, but neither of us has traced our ancestry to determine that. One thing for sure, as Dennis and I have talked over the last few months, there's definitely been a connection between our families and friends. I knew Dennis from hanging out during the summers at the public swimming pool, The Colonial Club, and from mutual friends we had. Dennis and I weren't what you'd call close friends in the strictest sense of the word. We didn't run around with each other, but we seemed to always be on the periphery of the crowd that everyone else was hanging with. Dennis and I connected through a mutual friend on Facebook. That's when I found out he has Stage 4 terminal prostate cancer. Dennis has done a wonderful job of laying out, in decades, what's transpired on his journey through life. And what an interesting and poignant story it is! At a fairly young age, one of his teachers told him he'd "never amount to anything." Boy, did Dennis prove her wrong! Dennis' life has been anything but normal, or mundane by most people's standards. He's done and seen more in his 65 years than any ten people could have, yet to him, it was no big deal. It was all just part of life. I've never known a person who was so humble about all the things they've accomplished. Dennis' journey begins in the 1950's. As he takes you through each decade, he paints wonderful pictures, weaves incredible stories and gives you snapshots of the things that happened in his life - things which ultimately shaped his destiny. He does so with humor, sometimes irreverence, and at times, sadness. He's done things and gone places that most of us only wish we could have done or experienced. Most folks wouldn't have had the balls to do the things or taken the chances that Dennis has. But for him, it was more a question of, "Why not?" In addition to everything he's accomplished, Dennis is a loving father and husband. His devotion to his family is evident in his writings. I am grateful this man, this friend, and I reconnected. I never dreamed that the skinny kid I knew from the Colonial Club swimming pool all those years ago, would go on to accomplish so much in his life. I'm proud to call him my friend. You will enjoy his story!