From John:
After thirty years, there are far too many people to thank individually. But there are some from the past who cannot go unmentioned. I would personally like to acknowledge: Tommy Atkinson, Dan Brintlinger, John Borgwardt, Duane Chambers, and Steve and Terry Huston. They must receive special recognition and my personal thanks for the early days. I want to thank Frank Cherry, my first partner, who was there at the start.
This revised edition has its own list of people to thank. They are: Jonathan Diamond, our agent, and Trena Keating, our highly skilled yet fun-on-the-phone editor at HarperCollins.
I need and want to thank my partner and friend, Russell. He is the volunteer who wouldn’t go away. Now he is my partner in our mission. We laugh and cry together and somehow manage to keep bringing our message of hope to those who need it the most.
I want to thank both my children. Allison was twelve the last time I wrote an acknowledgment. During the last twenty years, I closed my eyes for what I thought was a short time. When I opened them again, she was beautiful, magnificent, and twenty-two years old. Twenty years ago, our son Cole was only six. Once an interviewer asked him if he knew what his daddy did. He thought for a moment and said, “My daddy helps sad people.” He was right then, and he’s still right. He’s now twenty-six years old, 6'2", and 190 pounds. I cannot tell you how much I love them both.
I need and want to thank the tens of thousands of grievers who’ve shared their pain, hopes, and dreams with me. I am honored. Without their honest participation, there is no way the Grief Recovery Institute could have become so successful and reached so many hurting people.
How can I possibly acknowledge and thank my wife, Jess Walton? After my son died, I thought I would never get to experience joy again. Just like so many others, I laughed on the outside while crying on the inside. Then Jess came into my life. She has stood by me through all these years. She has joyfully supported this pioneering effort to help grievers. She’s put up with my travel, long hours, and crying people in the living room. She even goes on game shows to win money for her favorite charity, the Grief Recovery Institute, when the phone bill is overdue and out of sight. During all this, she’s continued to work in her chosen field of acting. She has won much acclaim from her fans and her peers. We even have two Emmy Awards on the mantel. She is a glamorous person in a glamorous profession, and there’s nothing glamorous about what I do. I know she understands how much I love and appreciate her, but I want to thank her and tell her, I love you, anyway.
From Russell:
Friends and acquaintances, upon learning what I do, always ask if what I do is emotionally draining. My answer is: “What I do is emotionally uplifting. There are very few things that I can imagine that would fill my heart and soul so completely. Every time I help a grieving person, they feel better. So do I.”
The principles and actions of grief recovery have altered my life in many ways. I have never been happier. And when I am sad, I am really sad. All feelings are good. Life is no longer a drudge or something to be endured.
My special thanks and love go to:
My mom—I miss you
My dad—my friend
My life partner, Alice
My business partner and friend, John W. James
My daughter, Kelly
My friend Claudia
My niece Gabi, and her mom, Liza
My magnificent twin sisters, Margie and Patti
My wonderful little brother, Ken
My two lovely ex-wives, Vivienne and Jeanne
My personal saint, Victor
My golf buddies, Laurie, Willie, Frank, and Ken, who have tolerated my mood swings as well as my golf swing
And all the usual suspects, especially Kathleen and Deb