My Angels along the Way
There have been countless people who have come into my life at times when I greatly needed them. I know these were angels sent by God to encourage and strengthen me. I am so fortunate to have been blessed by incredible friends, family, colleagues, and partners in my life, and this book wouldn’t exist without them.
Gone but not forgotten, of course, are my precious mom and dad and my beloved Auntie Ruby.
Across the ocean in Derry, I thank my family for their constant love and support over the years: my brother Lawrence and his wife, Fiona; my half sisters Ann and Jacinta, and their husbands, John and Michael; my half brother Pat and his wife, Ann; my half brother Fr. John; our dear family friend Fr. Paddy O’Kane; and all my many nieces and nephews.
A thank-you to my lovely mother-in-law, Jean; I’m so grateful that she and her late husband, Archie, came into my life when I married Mark.
I thank friends and mentors and wise hearts along the way for enriching my life and helping me discover my gifts and giving me the courage to dream: my sincere thanks to Roy Grant, Sandra Freeman, and Faith O’Reilly for believing in me. To directors Jack Going, who gave me my first big theater break, and Larry Peerce, who gave me my first big television break. Who knows where I’d be without you!
Thank you to my beloved Touched by an Angel family. I am so grateful for the love we shared after so many wonderful years spent together: to Martha Williamson and the cast and crew, in particular the late John Dye and my own beloved momma, Della Reese.
Thank you to all my Bible and A.D. family, the entire cast and crew who brought so much light to my life, and in particular Richard Bedser.
Thank you to Gary Barber and my MGM family and all of my LightWorkers family, who stay as committed as I am to telling positive and encouraging stories and trying to change the world through kindness, and especially to John Kilcullen and Katherine Warnock for their input on this book.
Thank you to all the folks at Operation Smile who volunteer to give of their time and talent, changing the world one smile at a time.
Thank you to everyone who helped with Box of Butterflies, breathing life into its pages with love and support and creativity. To Jan Miller and Shannon Marven for helping me find the right publisher for this project and your unwavering support throughout. To Pam Reynolds, Brian Edwards, and Christina Tajalli, for their legal expertise. To Judith Curr, Carolyn Reidy, Philis Boultinghouse, Stephen Fallert, Jonathan Merkh, and the entire team at Simon & Schuster and Howard Books. To Torrey Sharp and Min Choi for their beautiful design; Jetty Stutzman, Linda Medvene, and Austin Hargraves for their incredible work on the cover; and Lina Plath and Clareanne Darragh from Frank PR, my tireless PR team. To Cindy DiTiberio, who came alongside at just the right time to help me envision what this book could be, who helped me get the stories out of my heart and onto the page, and whose tireless dedication to the process has helped this book emerge into the beautiful treasure it is.
A special thanks to all the writers and contributors who granted me rights to use their material, which so greatly enhanced this book. They have been butterflies for me along the way, and I’m so grateful that I can share them with you. A special thanks to Mary Oliver, Martha Williamson and Marc Lichtman, Anne Neilson, Karen Kingsbury, Phil Coulter, David Whyte, and the dear Dr. Maya Angelou.
A thank-you to Ashley Chase, my invaluable assistant, who handles so many details and keeps me focused, on time, and on schedule.
I’m so grateful for the special friends who have graced my path. There are way too many to mention here, but in particular, I thank my girlfriends close to home and overseas, friends whom I can count on no matter what, my true angels along the way, including Joanna, Moira, Cynthia, Elizabeth, Carol and Kay, Irena, Brooke, Lisa, Marilyn, and Valerie.
I’ve been humbled and overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people and their kind words on behalf of Box of Butterflies. There has been so much support from friends, colleagues—people I so deeply admire and respect—and I am incredibly grateful. Given the immense response, I regret we were not able to print all of the gracious words offered. I thank each and every person listed below from the bottom of my heart and have created a special place where you can read everything that people have been saying about Box of Butterflies at www.boxofbutterflies.com.
My deepest thanks go to:
Megan Alexander, Moll Anderson, Raymond Arroyo, Pastors Caroline and Matthew Barnett, Pastor Luke Barnett, Bishop Robert Barron, Pastor Mark Batterson, Bob Beltz, Lisa Bevere, Rev. Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield, Bishop Dale C. Bronner, Brooke Burke-Charvet, Rev. William Byrne, Phil Cooke, LL COOL J, Jeremy and Jessica Courtney, Pastors David and Nicole Crank, Cindy Crawford, Laurie Crouch, Jim Daly, Juan Pablo Di Pace, Shannen Doherty, Fran Drescher, Joshua DuBois, Rev. Jonathan Falwell, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, Pastor Ken Foreman, Bob Goff, Kathie Lee Gifford, Archbishop José H. Gomez, Jon Gordon, Pastors Craig and Amy Groeschel, Pastor Bobby Gruenewald, Pastor John C. Hagee, Billy Hallowell, Michelle McKinney Hammond, Patricia Heaton, Pastors Bobbie and Brian Houston, Arianna Huffington, Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Jackelyn and Donald Iloff, Jerry Johnson, Jason Kennedy, Lauren Scruggs- Kennedy, Karen Kingsbury, Ali Landry, Pastor Max Lucado, Gabe and Rebekah Lyons, Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee, Pastor Erwin Raphael McManus, Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, Dr. Carl A. Moeller, Johnnie Moore, Pastor Phil Munsey, Anne Neilson, Nancy O’Dell, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Pastor Victoria Osteen, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Sister Rose Pacatte, Kevin Palau, Tony Robbins, Willie and Korie Robertson, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, SQuire Rushnell, Rodrigo Santoro, Joel and Luke Smallbone, Pastor Judah Smith, Michael W. Smith, Pastors Andy and Sandra Stanley, Pastor Dave Stone, Cal Thomas, Pastor Brian Tome, Nick Vujicic, Pastor Holly Wagner, Pastor Rick and Kay Warren, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl.
Last but not least, I must thank my closest family. My own little Brady Bunch! I am so grateful to my beloved husband, Mark, my best friend, partner, soul mate, and the absolute love of my life. He is the true leading man in my life. Loving him and being loved by him is more than I could have ever dreamed of. I am grateful for the two amazing sons he brought into my life. I have cherished helping to raise James and Cameron, and I love them dearly and am so proud of the young men they have become.
And to Reilly, my beloved daughter: your birth blessed me more than you could ever know. You are a part of my heart, and loving you brings me so much joy. Thanks for being the best daughter a mother could have.