The Angels Were With Me Last Wednesday Night

I was in a car accident last week.

But I walked away unscathed, as did all of those who were involved.

My car was damaged  in the back, and the other vehicle was pretty much destroyed.

And all that transpired around the incident, in protection of myself and everyone involved, was a blessing.

Here's what happened:

It was Wednesday evening, June 23rd.

I was on my way from Cerritos to Beverly Hills for a special reading of a new play.

I stopped for gas on Artesia Blvd, a few blocks from where I live, and began to make my way to the 91 Freeway West.

In a few moments, I noticed an accident to the side of the road, at an intersection/cross-street.

It was a dreadful.  Two vehicles were involved, and both were intermingled with one another.

I wasn't sure if there was any casualties.

I kept moving, and the traffic started to slow before the Freeway entrance.

Unfortunately, the driver behind me did not notice the slowing traffic, as he was distracted by the other accident.

In seconds, that driver slammed into me, going normal speed, approximately 20-25 miles per hour.

I stopped my car, walked out to see if everyone was okay, and then looked at the back of my car, and the front of his.  There was significant damage to the back of my vehicle, but nothing compared to the other car, the front end of which was destroyed.

Police who were covering the other accident, had already called for back-up.

Within minutes, additional police officers, along with fireman came to the aid of myself and others in this second accident.

The other party admitted it was his fault, and both he and I, thank God, were not harmed in the incident.  I was more concerned about his Mom, who was sitting in the front seat next to him.  She was very emotionally upset, and kept grabbing heart.

We exchanged contact information.  His insurance company would be paying for everything...the damage to my car...the rental car I would be attaining the next day, and all damages.

We all walked away physically unscathed, thank Heaven.

I never made it to my writer's event that night.

But Heaven had another plan, and the Angels were with me, and each of us.

I remain grateful to be alive.....and how I was protected each step of the way.

My faith kept me strong, physically, emotionally, and psychologically throughout the entire ordeal.

I was calm and collected throughout it all.

And I simply don't know what people without faith do in such circumstances.

I'm just glad I have faith, and that the Angels responded to that faith with graceful protection for all concerned.

The Color of Humanity

The Color of Humanity - by Herbie J Pilato

The color of my skin is olive, or white, depending on the time of year. And I am a straight man. But that does not mean that I will necessarily only vote for an olive-skinned or a white straight man to be in the White House, or for an olive-skinned or a white straight man for any particular political position or office. My political beliefs are relatively liberal. But that does not necessarily mean that I will vote for a relatively liberal individual to be in the White House or any particular political position or office. My hair color has ranged from brown to salt-and-pepper to gray to silver. But that does not mean that I will vote for only a brown, salt-and-peppered, or gray, or silver-haired individual to be in the White House or any particular political position of office.

Do you see where I'm going here?

When I vote, or stand behind any political candidate, I vote for the INDIVIDUAL...and for what that particular individual will bring to the table. I vote for their experience...for their wisdom...for the leadership qualities...for their humanity.

Those are the legitimate reasons in choosing a candidate for ANY political office. And not because they are White, Italian, Black, Greek, Blond, a Female, Straight, Gay, or Martian.

And the same rules apply to EVERY area of life, beyond professional politics.

Essentially, I make wise choices in all areas for legitimate, authentic reasons, for the highest good of all concerned.

I Am Only Human

I am a human being, defined solely by my humanity.

My heritage does not define me. My culture does not define me. The color of my skin does not define me. My politics do not define me. My religious and spiritual beliefs do not define me. My financial status does not define. My sexuality does not define me. My gender does not define me. My family does not define me. My friends do not define me. My colleagues do not define me. My work does not define me. My accomplishments do not define me. My intelligence does not define me. My wisdom does not define me. My opinions do not define me.

Defined solely by my humanity, I am only human.

Blessed are the Children - and the Parents!

I applaud each of my dear friends, family members, and colleagues who are so blessed as parents...those who have been blessed with children, whether through biological or adoptive means. I have yet to be as blessed and, and thought by now that I surely would be. 

It was long my dream to have my intended children be raised and grown with the children of my friends of my age...in order that we would have all "grown-up" together. But that has not been the case, and it was simply just not yet meant to be. That particular time-doorway has closed.

Instead, over the years, my "children" have materialized in the form of my books, and my work, as I focused on my career. While, too, my "children" were for a good many years, my parents, for whom in many ways, I placed my life on hold, while I cared for them in their elder years. The parents became the children, and the child became the parent. And I do not regret one single moment in doing so, because I loved my parents on Earth, and very much love them still to this day while they rejoice in Heaven. 

But one day, I turned around, and there I was...a 55-year-old man, with a child's heart, and so much to give, and yet, fatherhood, in it's truest sense, has thus far alluded me. 

Sometimes, for those of us in the arts, who are not born into wealth, or such stable heritage, sometimes for those such individuals, the securities of this world, or at least what the people of this world recognize as stable, it take a little longer. 

So, while my dream of raising children with my same-age friends as they raise their children has passed, a new day is dawning. The success and financial stability that many of my friends had experienced in our twenties and thirties, I am just now beginning to experience. 

So, we shall see what tomorrow will bring. A new life? A new love? Indeed, a new child after all, for the man with the child's heart, and finally, the adult life? We shall see. We shall see.

In the meantime, I'm sending blessings and joy to all and each of you who are already so blessed as parents of loving-kind children of your own. 

How truly, truly blessed you all are indeed.

I'M WALKING AS STRAIGHT AS I CAN by Geri Jewell is a Gem!

Honest.  Poignant.  Funny.  Challenged.  Victorious.  Inspirational.

Those are just a few words to help describe I'M WALKING AS STRAIGHT AS I CAN: TRANSCENDING DISABILITY IN HOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND by Geri Jewell.

The iconic actress and comedian is best known for her ground-breaking role as Geri Warner on the classic TV series, The Facts of Life, which originally aired on NBC from 1979 to 1988.

I'M WALKING AS STRAIGHT AS I CAN is the astounding account of her life and career before, during and after her monumental performance on Facts which, because of Jewell, became the first weekly series to feature a character with visible disability that was actually played by an actor with a visible disability.

Jewell was born with Cerebral Palsy, but her physical struggles have ever since been outnumbered by her triumphs and relentless uplifting spirit and personality, combined with an unstoppable creative mind, wit and intelligence.

Jewell's optimum writing style, coupled with her keen sense of observation and humor, allows the reader to become so movingly involved with her personal and professional best (and worst!) in the most captivating of ways.  She pulls no punches in revealing the challenges she's faced, off screen and on, but after reading her story, one is left with meeting, understanding, attaining, and knowing a new best friend - and a lot more insight into how to live fully, minus any inordinate amount of self-pity or jubilation.

Instead, Jewell delivers with distinction and resolve the perfect balance of how to function, in life life, and in business.

Despite the physical challenges...the emotional and psychological abuse...the insurmountable losses, and the nightmares of every fold, Jewell instead mustered the courage, at times by way of sheer will, to focus instead on the replenished gains and her dreams, even and particularly on the days after her worst nightmares.

In short, I'M WALKING AS STRAIGHT AS I CAN is just about as good as it gets in any literate category.  A Five-Star rating for a truly super star's way of living.

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New Lansing Bio by Alexis Hunter is a "Joi" to Behold and Read

JOI LANSING: A BODY TO DIE FOR: A LOVE STORY.

That's the title of Alexis Hunter's amazing new biography of cinematic beauty, actress and music sensation Joi Lansing.

This book is more than just a biography of Lansing's life and career.  It's an epic memoir of sorts of Hunter's friendship and ensuing romance with Lansing in the last few years of her life.

A BODY TO DIE FOR serves as a telling subtitle for a double tale of a singular life that brought so much joy to the world.  It's also the story of an innocent and sometimes tortured soul whose self-worth was too many times decided upon the power of others.  Like countless aspiring performers, actors, and models of every ilk, Lansing was willing to sacrifice much to make her mark in the world.

Fortunately, along her periodically-beaten-down-path, she and Hunter became friends.  Hunter became one of the few true friends Lansing had longed for since her earliest days as a child-performer.

While Lansing befriended and worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, Lucille Ball, Tony Bennett, Katherine Hepburn, Dorothy Lamour, Burt Lancaster, and Frank Sinatra, to name only a few, it was Hunter who became her dearest, and most dedicated and loyal soulmate in life.

For better or worse, with good decisions and bad decisions, to keep up appearances, or to enhance appearances, Lansing lived an "A" life and, in the process of chronicling that life, Hunter, too, follows that same path with JOI LANSING: A BODY TO DIE FOR.  This book spells out so completely and clearly, with elegance and class and style, the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens of Lansing's epic existence.  It's all there, from the moment of her birth, to the day she left this world and the untimely young age of only 43.

JOI LANSING: A BODY TO DIE FOR is the pristine telling or a truly "super" star's life in any and every sense of the word.  Uniquely told like never before in any biography, memoir, or book of this sort, this book is is as beautiful as Joi Lansing was and still remains in the hearts of so many.    

In short, JOI LANSING: A BODY TO DIE FOR is a "Joi" to behold and read indeed, in every which way, "shape" and "form".

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Thank you, Mom, for raising me right.

Thank you, Mom, for raising me right.

Thank you for always being home when I got there...for always welcoming me with a smile...for teaching me all about Love - and how to Love and forgive everyone...even and especially when they hurt us.

Thank you for catering three meals a deal, with snacks in between...for doing my laundry...for helping me with my homework...for being a best friend...and for being a beautiful parent.

Thank you for not having any aspirations other than to care for your children...for not studying, focusing on or investing in anything other than Love.

Thank you for not making me feel like you sacrificed any career opportunities in order to Love and care for me - and thank you for making me feel like I was always your proudest and most important accomplishment.

Every good thing I ever said or did...or every good thing I ever say or do today, even in the smallest way, is because of the Love that God placed in my heart and in my life - through you.

So, again...thank you, Mom, for raising me right.

As I used to say to you and Dad before I fell asleep each safe night I lived in our beautiful home, "Thank you SO much...for everything!"