I Believe: A True Story of Faith, Trust and Commitment

A True Story of

Faith, Trust and Commitment

Jack Villari

ISBN 978-1-64140-520-1 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-09803-822-9 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-64140-521-8 (digital)

Copyright © 2018 by Jack Villari

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Preface

My Journey

1 - The Beginning

2 - A New Environment

3 - Discovering Ourselves

4 - A Second Start

5 - Indecision and Decision

6 - A Test of Faith

7 - Manhattan, the Big City

8 - Back to New York

9 - My Guiding Angels

10 - Could This Be It

11 - Army Life

12 - Where Do I Go from Here

13 - A Beginning and an Ending

14 - The Awakening

15 - God’s Plan Unveiled

16 - Two Become One

17 - Back to Square One

18 - Do We or Don’t We

19 - Dedication and Challenge

20 - A New Day, a New Dream

Closing Thoughts and Guiding Angels

Final Note

To God the Father for all of his blessings, my guardian angel, my guiding angels, and my family and friends for all of their prayers.

Preface

This is my story, my life! However, every word here was given to me by the Holy Spirit. I was simply the receiver of the words. From the chapter titles until the final note, all were completed in four days.

I feel there was a divine purpose for this book. I hope it will have special meaning to you.

My Journey

I was in my late teens, sitting alone on a thirteen-hour train ride from Cleveland to New York City. As I stared out into empty space, I could hear the sound of steel wheels rumbling against the cold rails. The noisy clatter soon became a monotonous drone, taking me further from home and deeper into my thoughts. Only the haunting sound of an occasional train whistle would bring me back to reality as it awakened the stillness of night and trailed off into the distance. This was my first experience away from home, and as we moved forward, I knew this journey would change my life forever. I was apprehensive yet confident as I reflected on past experiences that brought me to this point.

I was a happy and confident child. Music and prayer filled my heart. I always felt love and support.

1

The Beginning

I feel fortunate to have been born into a religious Italian family. Our home was always full of songs and sacraments, and both became prominent in my life. Times were tough. Our household was modest and middle-class but I never felt deprived. We lived in a diverse and friendly neighborhood that always had a variety of tempting smells at dinnertime. Everyone knew everyone. I was happy and felt loved.

We lived on the second floor of a brick home above my aunt, uncle, and grandmother, Rose Villari (my grandfather passed away when my father was a young boy). Grandma was a quiet, prayerful person. I always think of her sitting in a chair praying the rosary. She was so peaceful. As a child, I would like to sit and hold her hand while she shared life stories. Her hands were warm; her stories interesting.

My parents recognized my talent and enrolled me in singing lessons at the age of four. They were quite proud of me. I loved singing and already knew all of the popular grown-up songs. Every time there was a gathering, I would be placed on a tabletop in true Italian fashion and asked to sing for everyone. I really enjoyed this since they complimented my talent and gave money to me and my parents for singing lessons. Even at that age, I realized that I had a good thing going so I would wait for a larger crowd before performing. It wasn’t long before I was asked to sing regularly on the radio. At the ripe old age of five, my singing career started. As I grew older, my mother wanted me to have a normal childhood. She thought it was best for me to decide if and when I wanted a show business career. So we temporarily put everything on hold.

I soon entered kindergarten and was introduced to new art experiences. I especially enjoyed painting at the easel with foot-long brushes. One of my paintings of children riding on a merry-go-round was selected for a cross country tour of outstanding art work by children. I didn’t see that picture again until the third grade, when they returned it at a special school presentation. I was too young to know at the time, but I had been recognized for having a special gift of sensitivity and emotion with attention to detail. I already learned to let the Lord work through me. This would prove valuable in everything I would do in the future.

Grandma Mary Zingale loved music and playing the piano. Though she never had lessons, she would always have us over to sing prayers on special religious days. She wasn’t that good at piano playing or singing, but she sure had a lot of spirit. At times, my older sister Darlene and I could hardly keep from laughing. We would feel so guilty. Grandpa James Zingale worked himself up from selling vegetables on the streets to a successful businessman with his own grocery store and several real estate investments. When I turned nine, they decided I should start my own business. One of his tenants owned a candy factory so I was supplied with an assortment of chocolate goodies and went door-to-door taking orders. Even at that age, I really liked being able to take charge of everything and developed quite a business.

Between school and door-to-door sales, there was still time for fun and