ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

People often ask me what the key to my success is. My answer is an emphatic family, friends, and faith. For every important milestone in my life these three forces have been my anchor and my source of strength.

I want especially to thank my dad and mom and my three brothers for your unwavering and unconditional love and for the closeness we share as a family. You have always had my back. You have been my backbone and my cheering squad and have propelled me to overcome every obstacle and adversity I’ve faced and step into my greatness with boldness, courage, and perseverance.

To my daughter, Gabrielle Victoria, you are so gifted, talented, grounded, and beautiful inside and out and I am SO proud of the woman you have become. The reason I have worked so hard throughout my life is to make you proud of me. You are my love and my legacy. I love you beyond words.

And most important, I thank God for sustaining me and blessing me to live a life beyond my limitations and my “What ifs.” I will continue to serve you until the day I transition from this life to my reward. I am eternally grateful for the lives I was fortunate to touch.

This book is dedicated to you all

with my sincerest love and thankfulness.