My experiences with dementia are where this story began. I spent countless hours in the Royal Oak dementia cottage in Lacombe with my dear mom and all the other dear moms. I have been deeply inspired by our long-term care staff, the angels among us, who make such a difference in the lives of our loved ones.
I am profoundly grateful to ECW Press for such a joyful and gratifying collaboration. I owe endless thanks to Jen Knoch, my brilliant editor, who has patiently rescued me from myself more times than I can count. And I so appreciate David Caron, Emily Ferko, Jess Albert, Michela Prefontaine, Caroline Suzuki, and the entire team for creating beautiful books with such kindness and dedication.
A wraparound hug to Leslie Greentree for her invaluable feedback and for retreating with me among the monks, nuns, and chickadees to write and talk about writing. My appreciation also goes to Audrey Whitson for her support and careful reading of early drafts, and to Richard Harrison and Tashie Deen, my jury duty partners, for helping tether me to writers’ world during our raucous Zoom chats. Warmest thanks to readers Jimmy Kimmel, Megan Hunter, Judy Howard, and Brenda and Bernard Parkinson for their encouragement and feedback, and to Lacombe’s Brave New Writers, who keep reminding me why we write in the first place.
I gratefully acknowledge both the financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the professional and emotional support from the Writers’ Guild of Alberta community.
Love always to my tribe: My beloved daughters, Bre and Megs, their sweet families, and to Jim, my favourite chef and the anchor of my world.