The phone rang and it was my sister, tearfully sharing the news that Bella had a massive stroke and I needed to get home immediately. My heart was broken, my stomach churned and I was overwhelmed. The backbone of our Italian family was in critical condition and I wanted to see her one more time: my grandmother, Bella.
Grandma Bella played such an important role in my life; every Italian matriarch stereotype was embodied in this beautiful, beautiful lady. She had such a green thumb and her garden produced wonderful tomatoes which we canned every season. She taught me to make sausage using a coveted family recipe, and we played Crazy 8's until the wee hours of the morning more times than I could ever count!
"What do you mean the ticket is $600? I can't afford it. I told you, I have to get to my family NOW. Please help me, please", I told the Delta Airline representative.
Despite tears and my strongest desire to be there, I could not get to my family for three days because the only ticket I could afford required a three day advance purchase. No available credit on my maxed out Visa, no savings, and not an extra dime in the checking account. Sadly, I didn't even have anything of value to pawn, and my pride did not allow me to admit my financial situation and ask my family for a loan.
For three days, I constantly called my family, asking repeatedly, "How is Bella? How is Bella? Tell her that I am coming. Please tell her that I will be there."
I could hardly eat, I was restless, I was crying, and I was devastated that I was stranded in the tropics known as South Florida. The sense of helplessness was greater than I have ever known. My family was in shock and I was a thousand miles away, but it might as well have been a million miles. Finding $600 to reach them immediately was an impossible task. Being alone and realizing my financial situation made matters much worse.
When I finally made it home, my arrival was bittersweet. Bella was out of pain, no longer incapacitated by a stroke. But, I did not have the chance to tell her I loved her, I did not have the opportunity to lay my head by her beating heart, and I could no longer clasp her aged, worn hand safely between mine. She was in heaven now. Tears flowed and I knew in my heart Bella had taught me one more lesson: never ever to be a victim of finances.
After an incredible celebration of Bella's life, I headed to the airport for the lonely flight home. Gazing out the plane window, I looked at the big fluffy clouds fully expecting to see my Bella dancing in the heavens. At this point, I made a commitment to be like Bella: free, beholden to no one, in bondage to nothing.
Paul Martinelli
Although Bella's death was heartbreaking, it spurred Paul to make the biggest decision of his life: the commitment to fly, to soar, to be truly free! And this included being able to reach his family without having to wait three days for a supersaver ticket!
Today, Paul soars by earning a multimillion dollar income. He did this by following his heart...deciding to forgo the opinions of others to teach the principles and techniques of Bob Proctor. Paul uses Bella's final lesson as his reminder to be free, and shares this with others so they, too, can know the inexplicable joy of being beholden to no one or no thing.
