Be thankful, grateful, patient, charitable, kind, and don’t forget to smile, as it is infectious. God Bless America and Protect Our Military!
First, my parents mentored me throughout my life, and I cherish the wisdom they shared on many topics. It was priceless and the basis of who I am today. Also, my six siblings have been a wealth of knowledge over the years, as has my late brother-in-law, Steve, and, most importantly, my wife, whose advice has been priceless. More on that later.
Secondly, I had some great educators throughout life, both teachers and nuns of the Immaculate Heart order (Sisters Mary Anthony, Santa Maria, Lasalette, Consuela Maria, Marion Francis) and Sisters of St. Joseph, starting with my Aunt Marie, aka Sr. Joseph Andrew (Sr. Chrysostom, Margaret Richards, Agnes Mercedes, Regina Marie)
In High School, I had numerous great teachers (Mrs. Davis, Dr. Brocious, Mr. Fagley) and others who continued to influence me during my 30 credits at Saint Joseph’s University. Most importantly, my English Composition and Literature teacher, whose name I am embarrassed to say escapes me, but picture professor Irwin Corey in a tweed coat and bow tie. He guided me down a path that I enjoy to this day: writing.
I remember that at the end of the semester, he told me I had come a long way and had developed a knack for telling stories. I explained my grammar was weak at best and always had been, which was a real challenge for me. He pointed out that many proofreaders and editors of books and literature, though very good at grammar, don’t necessarily possess the ability to write a good story.
Thirdly, and again most importantly, my wife, who still says I am a work in progress but am coming along quite nicely these days, adds, “Imagine it only took me 50 years of marriage.” Her advice and opinions are more important because they are almost always sound and thought out to the finest detail. Also, although still learning at times, a happy wife equals a Happy Life. LOL!
Fourthly, our kids and grandchildren, in this ever-changing world of behavioral science and technology advancing by leaps and bounds, are much more adept at understanding the workings of today’s world. It makes it easy to live by that golden rule as you try to learn, experience, or teach yourself something new each day. My kids and grandkids over the years have taught me to check almost any fact before giving a definitive answer, using Snopes, Reviews, and/or Wikipedia as references. Sage advice, I might add, given by all.
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