My mother and I had only one argument and it was over the phone. The discussion ended with me saying, ‘Mom, I’m 21, I know what I’m doing, leave me alone!’

She said, ‘You know what you’re doing?’

‘Yes!’ I replied.

‘Well, you’re 25.’  And she hung up.”

~Terry McCarthy

Excerpt from “My Ship Had Come In”  pg. 33-34

“. . .I was 32 years old, married with three children, living in a 20 x 20 house with no plumbing, and was working on a chicken farm for $4 an hour. I was to soon learn how serious and valuable this word commitment is.

I was six months sober and I had a friend who worked on the tugboats in New York Harbor. He came to my house one day and told me that his company was going to allow non-union people to work on the boats. He could get me a position as a deckhand. The starting salary was $48,000 a year and I would work for one week and then be off one week. I was elated! My ship literally had come in. There was not only hope, but the future was almost too bright to look at: a decent house, a new car, and new clothes. I was so excited I couldn’t contain myself.

I got in my 15-year-old Chevrolet with the bald tires and rusted, flopping fenders, and drove to my sponsor’s house. “You won’t believe this,” I exclaimed. “Sobriety is indeed wonderful.” And then I proceeded to tell him the above.

He listen quietly and didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm. Then he said, “You can’t take the job.”

I thought he was kidding. I laughed. “You can’t be serious.” His eyes indicated that he was more than just a little serious.

“Terry, can you see yourself in Manhattan with $1000 on a Friday night? You would never make it home!” I was astounded. He had to be out of his mind. I stood up and told him exactly what I thought. He responded by saying, “And not only that, you need to stay on the chicken farm for another year. You need to do what you don’t want to do; you need to do what you’re told!” I was furious. I told him again that he was nuts, and then left….”

________

From the back cover

“When Terry McCarthy entered the room, people sat up a little straighter. When he yelled, people sat up straighter still. And when he laughed, most people laughed with him. He had an Irish temper, a formidable presence, and a keen wit. Terry had a way of getting past your guard. He understood better than anyone I have ever known the truth of the slogan, ‘there is no easier, softer way.’”

~Chris Stein

_____

“I’d heard about some parishoners who twirled their right index fingers in a circular motion when they wanted the preacher-priest to wrap it up. Terry’s advice was, ‘If they ever do that to you, say: Every time you do that to me, I’m going to talk fifteen more minutes. I’m Irish and I have a lot of stories to tell. I can talk forever.’”

~Father Stephen Morris

All proceeds from the sale of Terry’s book go to Lindy McCarthy.