I offer my thanks to all those who have read, critiqued, and encouraged me during the time of this writing, including my own students, and especially Ann Hooke, whose marked-up pages and questions on the original manuscripts were most encouraging of all—because I was given a sense of the immediate relevance of what I was writing. And in particular, to Joseph Rubano; Squidge Liljeblad Davis, who has also been one of my essential bridges to the unseens; and Albert LaChance. It was in previous correspondence with Albert that I was newly empowered by the pleasure and freedom of translating what was most important to me into writing.
To all who have given to me in this lifetime and, equally, to those kind enough to take from me: you have all made this life possible.
And I especially acknowledge and thank Bettina Dudley, angel of emptiness, who has been dedicated to this book from the beginning, faithfully typing every page and every revision, and never flagging in enthusiasm. If not for her generous and tireless (and forgiving) friendship, and her overall support for the work I do, I might already be living a prematurely peaceful and unproductive life.