Writing Looking Back-Looking Forward was the way Ralph dealt with the profound grief a parent has when one of their children is murdered. It is, as the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children describes it, "A grief like no other." The poetry in the book is divided into six sections, representing the various stages of grief one experiences when they lose a child. Those stages listed are Grief and Loss, Despair and Denial, Questioning, Observations, Rage, and Acceptance and Realization. Writing, or expressing his grief through writing, along with reaching out to help others who suffer the loss of a child due to murder, was the motivating force that helped him to survive that ordeal-that, and his strong belief in God, as well as being a Christian.

Ralph is the father of murdered son Tom Myers. A U.S. Army Veteran, husband of the late Francine, and father of Maria. Ralph started writing poetry as a part of his grief after his son was murdered in 1993. Ralph, now retired, was a business owner of a moving company, elected Chairman of the California Moving & Storage Association, and became heavily involved in the crime victims' rights movement after his son was murdered. He has served on the Board of Directors for Justice for Homicide Victims, The Nicole Parker Foundation, and California-based M.O.V.E. (Memory of Victims Everywhere). He also helped establish the LAPD Crisis Response Team for the West Valley Division. He also served as a chapter leader of the Los Angeles Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, a grief support group.