Lesson From a Little Bird

On the Wings of Love

In a material world where self-absorption, pettiness, and arrogance run wild, simple treasures get lost in the upswing. Priorities get out of line.

But we must make the effort to put them straight.

Case in point: I was born and raised in Rochester, New York in a loving home of the 1960s and early 1970s. I graduated from Nazareth College, studied TV and film at UCLA, moved to Santa Monica, California, and landed a job as an NBC Page, and then production liaison and special events coordinator.

After leaving NBC, I acted in TV’s General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, Highway to Heaven, The Golden Girls, and other shows.

Then the roles became scarce, times got tough, and I rarely had enough money for gas, food, or rent.

I was forced to sell my then-dream car, a 1981 Buick Regal Limited. My apartment was empty, save for the sun-lounger I slept on. My telephone was disconnected. This was now 1989, and a small transistor radio provided my only entertainment.

As a broken man (and broke, except for about $200.00), I fell crying to the floor in my barren living room. After composing myself, I took a walk and came across a free newspaper. Inside was as advertised a $198.00 round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Rochester.