Charles McCarry has lived an interesting life.

In addition to being the author of The Tears of Autumn and The Last Supper,

He served as Assistant to the Secretary of Labor in the Eisenhower cabinet, as well as, worked for the CIA.

However, Charles McCarry almost wasn’t born . . . He explained it this way:

My mother became pregnant with me at the age of 39.

She had nearly died while giving birth to my only sibling.

Her doctor, who believed the second pregnancy was a serious threat to her life

Advised an abortion.

The advice made sense. . . but my mother refused to accept it.

Just before she died -- at age 97 -- I asked her "WHY?"

She replied,

"I wanted to see who your were going to turn out to be."

[letter to the Wall Street Journal, quoted in 2-90 Reader’s Digest]

Every human being deserves the chance to turn out to be… somebody!