Acknowledgements

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who have helped me over the years.
Needless to say, I am grateful to all my family members and my extended family members for their help and support. It is not necessary to name them here.

A recent movie called "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" reminded me of the saints that were part of my life over the years. For those who are not religious or Catholic, you may not know what or who are Saints. It is a common miss conception that a Saint has to have lived a holy life and be a martyr. That is not true. Those are canonized saints by the Church and require years of petition after their death and proofs of 3 miracles before they can be officially recognized.
However, every one of us, even non Catholics and living, can be a saint. A saint is a person who goes out of their way to help others without expecting anything in return. It is a kind gesture that is done more for the "good feeling" one gets from helping others in need.

In my case, looking back in my 50+ years of mental history, I can easily identify certain individuals that had made a positive impact in my life and some still do. I won't go into details into what they did. I want to just thank them and they know why they are on this list. In some cases, they are my close friends, my colleagues and my inspiration.

Here is my list of personal saints -
1. Coach Ed Lucia
2. Arnie Messing
3. Sister Ellen McNulty
4. Father McLafferty
5. Monsignor Dermott Brennan
6. Oscar Lukefahr
7. Nona Donovan
8. Gerry Thompson
9. Jerry Goertzel
10. Lou Yao
11. Fred Mintzer
12. Frank Giordano
13. Keith Pennington
14. Margaret Schaut

Thanks again to all for your friendship and inspiration.

A final word regarding God and faith. In my various encounters, I am sometimes asked how do you know God exists?
My answer is simple. Believing in God is a leap of faith. However, there are signs that we all experience in our lives that point definitely to that conclusion.
My previous chapter on my IBM experience(personal journey section) is one such example and this list of my personal saints is another. If you think evolution is all that explains our existence, then how do you explain actions by some that does not profit or benefit the self? In some cases, it actually hurts the giver. Survival of the fittest may be the rule of the animal kingdom but it does not apply to humans.

I included a few suggested books on this important topic. CS Lewis's book "Mere Christianity" makes the best argument I know of. And recently, "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger" which was made into a special on TBN is also very good with common answers about God. I recommend them highly.

Here is the bottom line, in my mind, even if I die and found out that God does not exist, I would not change my belief or faith in any way. The "crutch" as some in the Secular world calls religion is a good thing. It leads me to a happier and better existence. Isn't that enough in itself?
If however, the Bible is the Word of God, and someday we are reunited with HIM, that would be even better and fantastic.

My final thanks have to go to God for creating me and creating the people around me and creating the universe that we live in.

THE END

Table of Contents
Previous Chapter