Meet Author Paul Williams
The Journey IS the Destination
Your journey as a father will be walked over thousands of hours of on the job training and the idea that people who master things do so by spending many hours doing it. This thought should bring comfort and result in hope.
It’s a journey we can enjoy!
A little background...
I love family.
My wife and I are the parents of seven incredible children as well as two beautiful daughters-in-law.
I was born and raised in the Salt Lake Valley and am grateful to still live here. I graduated from Brigham Young University and have spent the majority of my career working in the banking industry.
However, my greatest joy is my family and I love being a father as well as a companion to my wonderful wife JoAnn.
When I got married I couldn’t wait to be a father.
And yet I couldn’t even imagine the joy I would feel when I first saw our first child, who was followed seven minutes later by his twin brother.
We had to wait a while for them and that wait made me appreciate them all the more and made me realize how short life is.
My dad, who passed away two years ago, was the most remarkable man I’ve ever known.
Despite being busy with Church service and work, he never missed a ball game, a concert, a performance, a play, or a vacation that involved his children and grandchildren. When it came to family, we never doubted his priorities.
His was a perspective of what mattered most and those whom he served and interacted with never doubted his sincere love for them and interest in them.
The legacy he built for us and the lessons we learned from him carry us to this day.
When I became a father, my goal was to do what my own father had done and what his father, and his father, and his father had done.
Each one had built and left a legacy that was strong enough for their descendants to stand upon.
I thought— if I can come close to doing the same—I would leave a meaningful contribution that would go beyond this life.
Such was the inspiration for Fatherhood: The Role of a Lifetime—a collection of lessons with messages rich enough to help us see beyond what the world tries to offer.
While the world today is vastly different and more challenging than the one I or my father and grandfathers lived in, messages that focus on the importance of love, the value of family, and the worth of a soul do not change from generation to generation.
The Man Behind the Book
Fun Facts About Me
- I love all sports, but especially BASEBALL!
- Favorite team: the Boston Red Sox. My devotion goes back to 1975.
- I love American history. At age 8, my dad got me a book on the U.S. Presidents - I memorized ALL of them!
- I love the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is rich, inspiring, and amazing!
- I enjoy a sense of humor and feel like I was raised by a mother who could have been a stand-up comic
- I love off-the-beaten-path hamburger places. I'll drive anywhere for a cheeseburger and chocolate malt.
- I love pizza — that is all that needs to be said!
- Fatherhood: The Role of a Lifetime is my first book