If Not for The Love of Others...

I was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. My father suffered from a disability and struggled to provide us with a home and the necessities of life. My four brothers, my sister, and I lived in poverty in the inner city.
This book is about my life. It's about growing up in a time when beating your child bloody was an unspoken common practice. It is about a time when great things happened. The war to end all wars was won, and the baby boomers were born. I was one of those children.
In this book, I take the reader on a journey behind the music of the 50s and 60s and into the lives I and many others of my generation lived.
The reader will learn about the physical, mental, and sexual abuse I suffered at the hands of my mother, her boyfriend, and even the parish priests. How I survived all that was because of my father's love and the love of others God sent into my life.
In this journey, the reader will learn that I've seen the empty shell Death leaves in his wake and how I beat the Grim Reaper ten times. The reader will also learn why, at a young age, I never feared dying and still don't. Why, to me, death is either the beginning of a new adventure or oblivion.
At the age of twelve, when the minimum wage was thirty-five cents an hour, I set a goal to have a million dollars in the bank by the time I was fifty. That goal led me to lead a very diverse life.
Before joining the military, I worked many jobs, such as cleaning toilets in a bar, shining shoes, delivering newspapers, and loading milk trucks. I also made jelly apples, helped on a fruit and vegetable truck, worked in a dress factory, and pulled in other kids at a carnival as a shell.
Growing up in that harsh urban environment, I started defending myself when I was seven. Back then, it was "life" of which I was afraid. In fact, there were times as a child when the abuse was so bad I wished the Angel of Death would take me. But God had other plans for me.
Everything changed after I left the military. It was as if I'd paid back my Karma. The reader will learn about the wonderful women I met who helped me rid myself of the violence, hate, and pain and grow into the man I am today.
Through their love, I have been blessed with a good life. A life I would never have dared dream of having when I was growing up. I became a successful businessman, a proud grandfather, a loving father, and a devoted husband, albeit that took me three tries and a lot of maturing.
Late in life, with the help of my wife, Judy, I achieved my dream of becoming a published author.
Judy and I have been lucky enough to travel all over the United States and to thirty-six countries together.
Through her love and the love and help of others, I escaped from that painful life. I worked, studied, and learned that there is another world out there-a world filled with love.
I found that love can quell negative memories. It's hard to be sad if you are loved. Love can erase the hurt, restore your soul, and give you hope. I was saved by the love I received. I am what I am today because of the love of my wife.
The nightmares of violence and sexual abuse still come once in a while, but my wife Judy is right there to tell me it's just a dream. But sometimes, at night, when the world is quiet, I have my doubts. Am I really living this good life, or am I lying on a hospital bed in a coma, dreaming of a life I wanted to have?