I was born on July 9, 1953 in Corpus Christi, Texas USA. My mother was an English and drama teacher; my father a minister in the Methodist Church. We moved around a lot. I missed out on some sport opportunities, but got interested in theater.
In 1975 I received a bachelor degree in Medieval Studies from the Colorado College. During a two year period living and working in Berlin, I visited Taizé. There I met Elisabeth Posthumus Meyjes, for whom I moved to the Netherlands in 1978. I studied theology at the University of Leiden, where I received a Ph.D. in 1994.
I am an ordained minister in the Protestant Church of the Netherlands. I served a congregation (1986-1991) and spent two years as a research assistent, before I began 15 years as a chaplain in mental health care (1993-2018). I also served as an ethical consultant in care for persons with mental disabilities. I started teaching ethics and spiritual care, which eventually got me to the position of professor of chaplaincy studies at the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands (2014-2019). Upon retirement we moved to the city of Culemborg in the Netherlands, where we now live in the ecological neighborhood Lanxmeer.
Over the last 20 years I have built up a repertoire as a performer with songs and theater productions of my own making and in the interpretation of poetry. In January 2022 I was appointed poet laureate of Culemborg. Often I work together with Elisabeth (voice, performance) and with our son, Mirek Walton (guitar & piano). My language advisors are Elisabeth and our daughter Fransien.