All I Am

Marco Islanders are affected by Bob Dugan most every day, whether they realize it or not. Dugan is president and CEO of Thor Guard, the worldwide lightning prediction system that is used throughout the island to predict lightning strikes from its beaches to its parks to its schools. But now it's Dugan’s words that might just be life savers for islanders who have been blindsided by the sudden loss of a cherished spouse. But implausibly, Dugan says the words in All I Am aren’t really his at all.

"Jesus picked an imperfect author to write an imperfect book for perfect people,” Dugan said. "What could possibly go wrong? Absolutely nothing.”

Dugan can often be found outside the Marco Dunkin, where he spends time with the gang that regularly assembles there in the morning. “My relationship with God or Jesus my whole life was rather contentious,” Dugan said. "If something went wrong, I would blame Him and yell at Him and say awful things. Then I'd apologize later because I knew it was just my temper. That went on for most of my life. I don’t know when it changed, I just know I changed my mind.” 

In All I Am Dugan interweaves personal loss, professional achievement, and spiritual awakening. Throughout the book, he references signs that compelled him to redirect his life, and indeed to write this book.

"I've been asked so many times from people who say they never get signs,” Dugan said. “Why did I have so many? It took a long time for me to figure that answer out. The bottom line is that if I had not had all those signs, there'd be no book because I didn’t want to write the book. It wasn't my idea to write the book. It was Jesus's that night. As you read the book, it seems to be scattered and going in a lot of different directions. I didn't know when I was writing it how I was going to bring all this stuff together at the end to make sense. And it just did. The last chapters are full of a lot of advice, a lot of things that I grew to believe. And the absolute foundation of everything is, I believe that Jesus actually came to me at least twice, and two other times, that He affected things. When I asked, they were there. There were two times when I really needed Him, I didn't ask for Him, but He was there. The signs, of course, especially at Christmas, are really beyond comprehension. And I knew as I was writing this, because I'm a scientist with Thor Guard, I didn't believe in signs. I didn't believe in any of that stuff. I believed in heaven, but I didn't believe that there was any interaction. Then it was proven to me right from the next day after Susan died that, hey, something is going on here. Something that I did not believe in my entire life." 

Dugan reveals himself through stories of overcoming polio, academic struggles and successes, PGA Tour aspirations, building Thor Guard into a global leader, and finding true love later in life. He describes enjoying life to its fullest, then suddenly losing Susan, the love of his life. The book brings you right up to today as Dugan continues to lead - and grow - Thor Guard but struggles with grief. Dugan is buoyed by routines and local friendships, like the gang at Dunkin, and his relationship with God and Jesus in helping him to carry on without Susan.

“When He woke me up that night, at that point, I was in it because it wasn't a dream,” Dugan said. “He was with me. And He doesn't do that a lot. That's why I wrote the book. I’m much different now than I was before, but I always believed. I just didn't know how to do it right. Susan helped me a lot because she was very strong. I don't think we ever missed church. And I haven't missed it since.”

Dugan hopes the book strengthens readers’ faith and helps them to see Jesus as a friend.

“In the foreword I say that if I help only one person, I've succeeded,” Dugan said. "I add another line. I believe Jesus prefers that I reach into the hearts of millions." 

All I Am is available at amazon.com.