Copyright 1996 - All Rights Reserved
Written by Kenneth E. Miller
Published by Kenneth E. and Irene M. Miller
Chapter 1: Author's Comments
First, hopefully, the information presented here will be as great a benefit and enjoyment to you as it has been to me. Secondly, it is my sincere desire that you may find enjoyment and happiness in life. The United States Constitution guarantees each of us as U.S. citizens the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. One of the most enjoyable things we as a family have ever done is to build our own home with God's help in giving us the strength, health and the mind to think things through. My wife, children, parents, brother and his family have been a continual help and pillar of support. No man is an island of himself. Everyone needs someone.
There is no tool that teaches like experience even though we sometimes grope around in the darkness as we try to move forward. Fortunately enough, the light always seems to come when it is needed to light the way, just as the sun rises above the horizon each morning and gives us another day to enjoy our blessings. For those of you who build your own home(stead), you will learn things you never knew before, as we did. You will learn things not only about the building trade but things about yourself, and what kind of person you are, your spouse and your children, family and friends. Nothing that comes easily generally has a great deal of value. Those things that take motivation, diligence and persistence to achieve help to make a person what they are and what they will be. If you question why I refer to the house building as building your own home(stead), it is because you are in the process of building a home while you are in the act of building a house. The word stead (according to Webster) means: 1. the place or position of a person, 2. advantage, service as give good service and 3. place, site or locality. While you are building the home you are providing good service in a certain locality for your family as well as others and you reap the benefit! So, build your own home(stead) and love your neighbor. It's not all that difficult!
With Sincerity,
Kenneth E. Miller