Guest Post
I started a little exercise about twenty years ago that has really changed my perspective on life, especially when I get uptight about things.
When I was young and in the orphanage back in the 1960’s, and for many years afterwards, I would literally wake up afraid every day. I guess it was because my childhood before I got to the orphanage at 8 was so disjointed and unpredictable, such as to always wonder if were we even going to eat that day, or was my father going to beat my mother, etc., I just learned not to trust or feel secure.
But, as an adult, I was given great advice to look for the good in life and in my past and hang on to that. That is how I discovered gratitude. Today, when I feel afraid or insecure, I look back on the previous day and I do an inventory looking for the good that happened and I find myself smiling and feeling grateful about just how great life is and how “An average day, is a great day”.
I then realize how fortunate I am that my life has turned out so good. But, it was a lot of kindness from many people who helped me along the way that helped me get to where I am today.
Just cooking for my lovely wife of 36 years is a great thought. She loves my cooking and I love to cook for her. It is the little things that matter.
About the Book
Title: Did I Ever Thank You Sister?
Author: Sal Di Leo
Genre: Nonfiction
Sal Di Leo returns after 30 years to the Catholic orphanage outside Chicago that he and his siblings called home in 1963. This is the beginning of a journey of discovery and remembrance as Sal is forced to reconstruct his life as it really happened, including some of his most difficult years at Boys Town in Nebraska. As an adult, Sal tried to rise above his turbulent past in an aggressive quest for power and money. Successes soon led to failures. Eventually, a wise friend convinces Sal to go back to his roots and look for the good experiences and valuable lessons he learned as a nine-year-old orphan.
Author Bio
Sal Di Leo is the Author of Did I Ever Thank You, Sister?, a Speaker, and an Entrepreneur.
Sal has successfully tackled many challenges in business and in life, and volunteers much of his time serving those in need. With his family, he founded St. Francis Lodge, a free retreat center where nuns, priests and others can reflect and rest to enhance their lives and work.
The State Fish Art contest, which he started in Minnesota to help kids learn about conservation through art, is now offered in all 50 states and 12 countries. Sal has been actively involved with Rotary and the Lions Club, and he has spoken to service clubs around the United States about his life and the importance of gratitude.
His memoir, Did I Ever Thank You, Sister?, rooted in his childhood experiences in a Catholic orphanage, is available worldwide.
He is the proud father of two adult daughters and has been married to his lovely wife Beth for 36 years. A longtime resident of Minneapolis, he is a 1977 graduate of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Visit Sal on his website http://www.SalDiLeo.com
Links
Website: http://www.saldileo.com/