Reaching Back, Looking Forward: Poems to Inspire and Encourage

Full of whimsical memories, life’s challenges, and uplifting encouragements, Reaching Back, Looking Forward is a collection of poems that reflects on one man’s journey through life and his hope for his future. Ron Hershberger brings philosophical thoughts and beautiful language to the page as he offers insights into readers’ childhoods through his own, peeling back the complexities of life to reveal who he is—who we are as humans—on the inside.

The poems in Reaching Back, Looking Forward are arranged into four categories: Encouragement and Faith, Memories, Challenging Times, and Tributes. Each is different yet similar, and each holds kernels of truth for all of our lives. So, find a quiet place. Sit back, relax, and join one man’s quest for meaning in life through his musical poetry.

After retiring from a varied career in the U.S. Air Force in 1989, Ron Hershberger has entertained a variety of activities to include serving as a truck stop chaplain, a church administrator and an active volunteer. In addition, he continued pursuing a variety of hobbies including model railroading, playing the saxophone, gardening, and writing. He and his wife, Brenda, enjoy a retirement community in Illinois where they can experience an active lifestyle, cultivate friendships, and travel the country. In the past, Ron was recognized in the 1978 volume of Outstanding Young Men of America, was featured in the 1995 anthology of poetry, The Garden of Life, and was published in Today's Best Poets in 2013. This new venture is a culmination of his education and life experiences, and he intends to donate the profits to charities that support the hungry and homeless.