"Follow your vision, and stay true to your beliefs and principles. Never just go along and never discard your beliefs. Spirituality is not “juggling”— it’s priorities"
The book is authentic and raw; it’s meaningful and inspiring. And as so many of us confront elements of loneliness, anxiety, and depression during these challenging times, we can be thankful to Howard for sharing his personal story, which offers insight into how to become a happier person by recognizing what’s truly important in life — and Who is really in charge.
One of the biggest influences in my life was my grandmother. When I was a little boy, I’d spend almost every weekend on an overnight at Grandma’s. We’d open the sofa bed, watch old movies, read the Sunday comics, and then Dad, Mom, and my sister would come over and I’d help Grandma cook up a special meal of potato latkes and fried chicken for the whole family, after which we’d all watch the Jackie Gleason Show. When I got my license, I’d take her for drives in the country. Those were special memories, but underneath the fun, I learned a lot. I learned from Grandma about character, strength, and self-sacrifice. Although I was born two decades later, I witnessed how someone could go from being a wealthy man’s wife to a widow with a young child in the Depression, taking in borders to stave off foreclosure. I learned how a person could work day and night in an unheated newsstand to feed her son and also raise her kid brother. How one can remarry to give her son a father while silently suffering because the flame had never died for her first husband. I learned how someone could endure all this hardship and never complain, but instead just brim with joy nurturing her grandchildren. I also learned the reality of being poor. What it’s like never to buy anything unless it’s on sale or with a coupon, to make your own clothes, to turn out the lights whenever you leave a room.
And I don’t know where I’d be without my wife, Debbie, who’s been at my side over all these years. She used to help out in the office. Then, when we had our first baby (of eight more to come!), she brought the baby to play. By the time we had four kids, though, she needed to be home with them all the time.
I suffered from depression, but Debbie got me through it. It happened twice in my life, and it was like she had another kid to take care of. She’d be strong with me, which was what saved me — she’s the one who convinced me to cross the bridge without jumping off.
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