The good Books that led me to the Good book

This is a story of how books turned my life around, and brought me to places I had never dreamed were possible.
Books the are a gift to my life
I was never much of a reader, but that changed in 1985. My daughter, Kathleen had given me a book as a house warming present. It was a book called “Living, Loving, And Learning” by Leo Buscaglia. That evening I began reading it. As I was reading it, tears began to flow down my cheeks. What Leo wrote was exactly what I needed. He wrote how important it was to love, even if you got kicked in the face because of it. He said love anyway. This had a special meaning to me. I had been told a few days before, by my wife of 19 years, that she did not love me anymore, did not respect me, and didn’t want to be with me anymore. Leo's book helped to start my healing process. Soon I was reading every book he wrote, and listened to all his tapes. The healing continued.
My next experience came three weeks later when I attended a workshop on relationship given by Justin Sterling. It was there that I had learned about being a man. Justin gave me the opportunity to begin living my life as a man, with Honor and integrity. I read his book “What Works with Men”. It was wriiten for women, but I was able to read it from the man's perspective. The book further reinforced what I had learned at the weekend.
I joined a Sterling graduates men’s team in the later part of 1985, the team helped to reinforce what I had learned in The Weekend. 26 years later I contiune to take additional workshops of his and read anything of his that I can get my hands on.
Scott Peck was the third author to have a profound impact on me. In the book “The Road less Traveled” He explained the difference between being in love and real love. Being in love he explained happens in the beginning and wanes. The relationships that last are the ones in which the people transition to love. Looking back, I was able to see that real love did not happen in my marriage. I read every book Scott Peck wrote and every tape that he made. It was early on when I discovered that listening to the words of the masters was a great way to get their message. In 1990, I had the privilege of attending an all day conference on Spirtuality in which Scott Peck was the keynote speaker . He told the audience, it was his belief that the 12 step program will be viewed as the single most significant contribution the West has made to spirituality in the 20th century. He directed each of us to find a reason, any reason to join a 12 step program, and to join it right away. My journey down the road less traveled continued.
In late 86 the men on my men's support team recommended that I take a course By Werner Erhard and associates called The Forum.
It was there that I had learned that it was up to me to take a life that was empty and meaningless and fill it with the meaning that I wanted to give it. For the next 7 years I took every course he offered, read all the material that had been written, and listened to hundreds of hours of cassettes. Another gift I was given, came while attending a session That Werner himself lead. It was something he said... “What we need in this culture is the ability to be with little or no result. "We need to increase our tolerance for no results" What I learned was that "giving up was the ultimate tragedy".
In 1988 that I learned of Anthony Robins. I attended one of his workshops. I was so inspired, I purchased his book, “Unlimited Power “and a tape program Called “Personal Power”. It was then that I had learned the difference between a person who was successful and one who was not. Success was based on personal power. Personal Power as defined by Anthony Robbins is “the person’s ability to take action". So I began to swing into action. I read every book of Anthony Robbins, every tape and Audio course he offered. Back in 1989 Anthony Robins stated in one of his introductions that he read everything he could on Human development 500 to 600 books. Of course I was so impressed, and never believed I would read as many books or listen to as much advice as he had. Well I can honestly say that Anthony may be the only person on this earth who had read and listened to more inspirational and motivational material than I have.
In 1990 Two more Authors and professional speaks came into my life, Wayne Dyer, and Deepak Chopra
The first book I read by Wayne Dyer was "Erroneous zones” Here again I read every book, listened to all his cassette programs and attended one of his workshops. It Was Wayne who gave me the pathway to make change a constant part of my life. I learned to be comfortable with change.
Deepak Chopra, brought the wisdom of the East, blended with his knowledge of Western medicine and healing. I read every book, listened to all his tapes and videos. My Wife Susie and I spent a week at his facility in California. It was at The Facility that we experienced the healing Ayurvedic methods.
In 1990, I decided I needed help with the Bible. I had been working with the Bible for 5 years and did not feel connected to it. I enrolled in a two year program of Bible study called Daystar. The first thing I learned was that to understand the Bible, one needed to know the culture and the happenings at the time. It was said that if you placed 20th century thinking onto the Bible, you would not get the right message. So it was at Daystar that the Bible meaning changed, and came to life for me. As a graduation gift to myself, I went on a pilgrimage to the Holy-Land. An example of the need to know the culture and the terminology of the time can be understood by looking at the following example. “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The phrase "eye of a needle" referred to the small gate that rem ained open in the great gate of an Oriental city, when the latter was closed for the night. They say it is difficult, but, possible, for a camel to pass through such a gate.
In The late 80's I found Norman Vincent Peale. He came to me through my dad, who loved what Norman Vincent Peele had to say. So I read his Book “The Art of Living” It was then that my negative leaning abated and a positive outlook on life emerged. I listened too much of his work and soon found myself on the sunny side of the street.
In September of 1990 my Future wife Susan, gave me I an Outstanding book called “The Game of Life”
Florence Scovil Schinn taught me to look at life as a game and gave me the rules of the game. Thus started the playing with life, I read her other books and tapes but the book “Your Word is You Wand” that connected the biblical passage about the word and Florence’s work that gave me the wand through my words. Thus I began to use more powerful and creative words. We have been so impressed with the power of the book, That we have have republished it.
In 1991, and after 5 years of dedication to solving my eating problems on my own, that I took the advice of Scott peck. "Find a reason to join a 12 step program". Well I found my reason. It is now over 20 years that I have been working the 12 steps. What began was my reliance on God, in a way that I had never known. I read and studied the book “Alcoholics Anonymous”. I also read the books that the early members read, before the AA Book was written “Emmet Fox’s “The Sermon On The Mount”, Cecil Rose’s “When Man Listens” and others. It was then that I learned the path that was originally laid out in the New Testament. Since then over and over again, and in different ways in most of the books that I read showed the path.
The gift of life kept unfolding through other great works. Just to mention a few
Dale Carnegie with his books “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and “How to stop worrying and start living”
Deborah Tannen with her book “That’s not what I meant”
Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”
Steve Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”
Bernie Segal “Life, Hope, and Healing”
Jerry and Ester Hicks in their ground breaking book “the law of Attraction”
And much, much more.
In many was my real life started when I began to read the masterpieces

Ever growing

Tuchy Palmieri