I offer sincere gratitude to my teacher Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village community; to Hisae Matsuda, Earlita Chenault, Ebonie Ledbetter, and the staff of Parallax Press for their support of my voice. To the many friends, Lotus Institute board members, students, colleagues, and supporters who have encouraged this publication through offering venues for talks at Many Faces Sangha, Philadelphia; Shree Yoga, Taos; the Mindfulness Community of Puget Sound; the Minneapolis Zen Center; East Bay Meditation Center, Oakland; the Blue Heron Sangha in Columbus, Ohio; the Insight Meditation Center in Seattle; the Asheville Zen Center; the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Vista, California; and the Vista Buddhist Temple. I know these were labors of love.
I offer unspeakable thanks to my parents, Roy and Viola Ward, who adopted me at eight months and my grandparents Marion and Ollie Tindal, who adopted all of us into their life. They taught me that it’s possible to love a stranger. Thank you for teaching me compassion and joy, for honoring my uniqueness, and introducing me to a spiritual life.
And none of this would have been possible without my beloved wife, Peggy Rowe, and her love, bravery, and unwavering support for my life’s creativity.