More and more lately, I recognize that my life is a tapestry of the kindness of beautiful people, brought into my life by God. I want to be part of that tapestry for others.
Thank you, Chinua, for being my closest friend and love for all these years. Thank you to my brilliant kids, now so much older than when I first wrote about Isika. They are taking their own journeys across the world. Thank you Kai, Kenya, Leafy, Solomon, and Isaac. I love you with all the fire in my heart.
Thank you friends and readers across the world, for prodding me to get this book done. It wrestled me to the ground, you guys. And here it is, all tall and leggy and beautiful.
Thank you Becca for being such a beautiful sister to me.
Thank you to my community at Shekina Garden, thank you friends who come from so many different countries. Thanks to all the inspiring artists here in Northern Thailand, people who live simply and have chosen a different way of life.
Mom and Dad, Tj and Mark Chapman, Diane Brodeur, Rowan Keyzer, Alicia Wiggin, Annie Laurie Nichols, Bob Kohlbacher, Carrien Blue, Verena Berndt, Wenda Friesner, Julie Winslow, Stephanie Donnelly, Karen Engel, Elisha Pettit, Kathleen Andersen, Deborah Dunson, and Mary Hall, you are like great shady trees that give me space to breathe and rest on a hot day. Thank you for being my patrons.