"Be thankful for today every day. We can only live today, not yesterday again, not yet tomorrow. Remind yourself how precious today is. It will go by fast, so don't squander it. Look around you and live in the now.

Born on Valentine's Day in 1939, author Bernard Wysocki has had a love affair with life. Though it wasn't all roses and champagne, he has met each challenge with wit and wisdom.

Bernard's memoir, Learn to Live, Love, Laugh, is part recollection, part philosophy, and part narrative. In part one, Bernard shares stories of his early years growing up in Chicago, of how he met...