Photo by Dwight Moss Dwight Moss in a photograph taken before speaking as a guest at Coffee with Poets and Writers in Hayesville.
By Marcia Barnes
Staff Writer
“Me, My Boys and God” written by Dwight Moss is an impressive, truly human story. Moss reflects on his role as a grandfather to three small boys and writes what he knows to be true.
Moss is an athlete, real estate broker and a developer, a Marine who served in the Vietnam War and now serves as chaplain for VFW Post 7807 in Towns County, Ga. He is also pastor of a small ministry.
He has written biographies and short stories for the senior games. Moss also writes a weekly column for the Clay County Progress.
In the Foreward of his new book “Me, My Boys and God” there is a glimpse of Moss’ point of view in being a grandfather, but the author writes that when he began he had no idea where it would lead him.
Moss’ style is conversational. He writes directly to the reader with nothing held back.
“Open your heart and your mind to new possibilities,” Moss writes. “Realities. Let God teach you with his love, his kindness, his knowledge and wisdom.” It is in this “Foreword” that Moss begins to describe Sean, one of the grandsons who becomes an essential part of Moss’ life.
“Sean could not do very much or give very much. He was small, innocent, helpless as babies are,” Moss writes.
The short chapters make plenty of room for staying in-touch with the varied aspects of each grandson and to Moss’ own real life experiences in becoming Sean’s provider of all things for a period of time. Portioned out are the harrowing experiences, humorous episodes and massive responsibilities.
Moss knows a lot about responsibility. He grew up as a farm boy. At 19 he decided to join the Marines. He finished boot camp at Camp Pendleton, then went into infantry training and jungle warfare training. Moss said that he was flown out on a transport plane flying so low you could see the ocean. He was 20 years old when the plane landed at the Marine base in Da Nang.
Writing was not on his mind, following orders and staying alive was. The war was real.
“There is a chain of command, you do what you are told,” Moss said. “An order came from the field commander to take the men across a rice patty. One man short, I said, ‘I’ll go first.’”
Moss headed across, running in water with a pack and a rifle, completely loaded down. He hit the ground. Then, the second man came across and hit the ground, but the third man hesitated and Moss witnessed his comrade shot in the chest.
Moss survived two near death experiences while serving in Vietnam. On the day his Lieutenant asked him to check out a bamboo hut covered in straw except for doors and windows, Moss sustained wounds that were immeasurable in the field.
The military sent two officers to his mom’s house in Shooting Creek. The family thought they’d lost their son. Moss said that he wasn’t able to be shipped out right away.
“In Me, My Boys and God” Moss doesn’t come timidly to writing about caring for his young family of active little boys.
“Thirty-eight months ago, I found myself alone with three boys. Their ages were 10 months, 3 years and 5 months and 5 years and three months. Coming from a family where I was the oldest of eight children probably laid some of the foundation for being able to deal with young children,” Moss writes.
This is the beginning of a journey which became Moss’ book. By the second chapter, Moss expresses his need for help.
“Do Christians not believe that God knows our needs better than we do? I believe that he can see right in through the portal of our hearts.”
The story moves on when there’s another knock at the door. Moss takes in a homeless man and prays, “Father have mercy on me.” When his 36 year old daughter returns, he asks, “Was God smiling? He knew that my compassion was being used up.”
The book will stir hearts. When grandson Jaden is lost in the mountains in winter, it is Moss who finds him in the briers just before the sun goes down. When Sean is in the highchair and food is on the table, prayers always end with “Amen, Hallelujah.” Through 16 chapters Moss quotes Holy Scripture which he sees as guiding him in and out of cloudy days.
A chapter titled “The Boys Learn to Ski” sets the stage for endurance. Moss writes that there had been enough cold weather for Beach Mountain, N.C. to have their slopes open for skiing.
“An old man and three boys (one in diapers) on a two-hundred-mile ski trip. Not one of them can ski. A three-day adventure with a seventeen-month-old, a three-year-old and a five-year-old. Can you imagine?”
The book reveals a love triangle, the author, three grandsons and a woman and the Holy Spirit.
An unexpected turn in the book comes as a part of the conclusion. The warrior Moss pulls on another warrior to confirm truths which Moss has already pointed out. The author quotes Napoleon Bonaparte from the book “Jesus Among Other Gods” written by Ravi Zacharias. A passage that is stunningly beautiful, written in language which no longer is heard, it becomes a touchstone.
Far removed from being a memoir, “Me, My Boys and God” is a genuine look at a segment of Moss’ life. It is dotted with humor and love.
“Me, My Boys and God is available at: www. Amazon.com.