Sal's Reflections

At a funeral yesterday the daughter referred to her mother as “Fed Ex”.She explained that her mother was immediately responsive to others ,and delivered on all requests often on the next day. What a wonderful testament to a life well spent, and the overcrowded church was indicative of the impact her mother had on others.The Fed Ex title will influence me today,and I aspire to wear that kind of title because service to others is the key to knowing your value.Everyone of us has the opportunity today and every day to make our world a little better, and delivering the next day will not only help others, it will give us that warm feeling that we make a difference

I learned last night that Jeanne Mount had died.She was one of the most remarkable people that I had the privilege to know. Jeanne and her husband Chet had five wonderful children when tragedy struck not once but three times. Eldeen,Neil and Tommy all were healthy children,but at a certain age went blind over night and suffered every awful side effect possible. All three died as adolescents and fortunately two other children Chip and Peggy never suffered with this illness. Despite this reality the Mount home was a magnet for everyone who knew them,I found myself a better person everytime I had the good fortune to be with the family. Fortunately Chip and Peggy never experienced the horror of their sister and brothers.but they were also filled with the love and kindness they had experienced from their parents.

Today was really my first day out and it felt good to experience the cold air on my face as I walked to the post office. Along the way there is a small park and I observed a young man in a tee shirt sitting in the park He was shivering and my heart went out to this poor soul freezing while I was dressed so warmly. Suddenly out of nowhere a young woman appeared carrying a blanket and a cup of what appeared to be Starbucks coffee. She sat down next to the man on the bench and after a few minutes draped the blanket over his shoulders and offered him the drink. At one point she collected his backpack and belongings and led him across the street to the church that serves breakfast and dinner to those down on their luck.

I went to the post office but on my way back the young woman was leaving the church so I stopped and spoke to her. She informed me that her brother was a combat vet in Iraq and for a few years he was on the street, and they could not find him. Apparently some Good Samaritan helped him and through treatment and being connected again with his family he is doing currently doing well. She suspected that the young man in the park was a veteran, and so she decided maybe this was the opportunity for her to be his good Samaritan. She went to get coffee, picked up the blanket from her car and hopefully helped this young vet on the path to recovery.

There are so many wonderful people in this world and today I was privileged to meet one.

Two more surgical procedures this month,one this Thursday and then one on the 25th.Feeling better each day, and appreciate all the notes and emails.Perfect time for writing and preparation of manuscripts and presentation materials.Working to develop financial sliding scales for Leadership programs and life coaching.so that money does not prevent any individual or group from participation.

Jackie Kennedy once said”her most important mission in life was raising healthy,caring emotionally balanced children.” I am here in Ankeny ,Iowa as a surprise or my son John’s 40th birthday. He was shocked when his sister Marisa,Elaine and I showed up on his doorstep yesterday.
I totally agree with Mrs.Kennedy and am blessed with two children who have matured into wonderful persons.Because it is John’s day in the sunlight I will focus on him today.
John in so many ways is one of my great heroes, and from day one was the kind of male that would make the world a better place.His kindness is ever present, and he always puts the needs of others ahead of his own needs. He is an extraordinary husband and father and his upbeat gene has been passed on to his delightful daughter.I am so proud to call him my son and hope that this will be a gangbusters year for him. Love you John.

Despite the fact that my father and his brothers could not speak English when they arrived from Sicily in seven years they owned the second largest laundry in New Jersey.They knew nothing about business,had no management theories, but had great instincts and worked tirelessly to make the business grow.I can recall being asked if “Mafia” money was involved in backing them because of course everyone who came from Italy was directly connected to the” mob”.This common slur despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Italian Americans never had even a parking ticket lingered on for decades.

I have always believed that politicians have the right to say ridiculous things, but there are limits and branding a group is over the top.All of us are concerned about terrorism ,but when any religious or ethnic group is deprived of their constitutional rights it is time to speak up. People poo poo this and say we must stop being politically correct, well I would respond that words have consequences and history teaches us that branding a group can have dire results. I recall a man I interviewed who told me that in 1933 he thought the words spoken about Jews was a passing phenomenon,. and yet it did not stop with name calling.After Pearl Harbor words led to one of the most awful abuses in our history,the incarceration of Japanese Americans.

I am aware that we often preface many of our decisions with “what ifs” What if I try this and it doesn’t work out? What if I fail what will people say?Suppose we turn the what ifs into positives and lead our lives on the sunny sided of the street?What if I started out each Monday with the belief that I make a difference? What if I realized that there are leadership opportunities all around me? What if I stopped comparing myself to others, and acted merely by competing with myself?What if I begin to act on my dreams and get out of the rut I am in”What ifs can be the way to live our lives more fully.