ContentBefore you know where you’re going…

You gotta know where you’re coming from!

Background Information

Who: identify important people, names

What: identify, explain, clarify the topic

When: identify dates, times

Where: identify important places, locations

Why: explain the impact, importance, the connection

“The Best Thing in Life Isn’t Things”

Pete Goheen, a 61-year old former soldier, amateur chef, dabbler in computer gaming, and self-professed sports buff is a man who has not had an easy life, but has faced many challenges: a somewhat unconventional childhood raised apart from his parents and siblings, unwillingly chosen to fight in a war he didn’t believe in nor did he understand, and fought a private battle with throat cancer.

Pete Goheen. Son. Patriot. Father. Friend. Survivor.

“The Best Thing in Life Isn’t Things”

While most games are sources of shared enjoyment and competition, there is one game that is not meant to include more than one solitary person. That slightly addictive, but challenging source of fun is solitaire. Solitaire is a card game that is played with a standard 52-card deck. The object of the game is to to eliminate all of a player’s cards by carefully arranging suits. This game, popularized on many Windows-based computer systems, is easy to learn and a time-honored tradition for many card sharks especially for Pete Goheen.

“The Best Thing in Life Isn’t Things”

On any given week, Pete Goheen can be found in one of three places: Lebanon Veterans Affairs Hopistal, Meadow Hill Family Diner, Giant Grocery Store, or his office in front of his computer. Although cancer-free since Christmas 2010, Pete still sees his oncologist, case worker, family practionier, and various technicians on a weekly basis to make sure “things are on the up and up.” When he’s not being poked, prodded, or questioned, he leisurely shops for ingredients for a new recipe, casually converses with family members and friends over dippy eggs and Funky Fries, or trying to beat his old score in Solitaire. All of these things help pass the time as he tries to focus on his blessings rather than his challenges.

“The Best Thing in Life Isn’t Things”

“I tried to hide my cancer from my family. My doctor accidentally revealed my secret to my sister at a visit,” Pete is cautious, almost reluctant to call himself a survivor. Despite the various challenges presented to him during childhood, as a young soldier, and a family man, Pete considers him to be a content kind of guy. Although surviving a tragic war, or beating an aggressive type of cancer may make his children and friends consider him to be a heroic champion of beating the odds, Pete says that he tries to maintain a normal life. When faced with challenges that most people would quiver at, Pete says, “I just deal with it. Next question?” His nonchalent response shows that our life experiences don’t define us . His grandon, however, might disagree, “My Pap is my hero.”

Facts

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Think About It

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