Acknowledgements

 

We thank God for calling us to finish this project: We owe sincere gratitude to You not only for providing constant inspiration and real joy in the process, but also for hounding us with conviction when we were distracted, discouraged, and ready to quit. We are thankful that You gave us this idea, that You turned our hearts toward our children and their needs, that You blessed our marriage with times of creative bonding, while guarding our words so that we would not mislead or cause harm in the process.

 

To our parents, thanks for helping us obtain library cards and supporting our creativity. Thanks to Stephen’s father, Dale Porter, for exhilarating overnight adventures at the TV studio and encouraging his education. Thanks to Stephen’s mother, Terry Porter, for providing his first dictionary and encyclopedia sets. Thanks to Gayle’s father, John Gustafson, for trips to the library and teaching her how to operate the micro-fiche machine and use the Dewey decimal system. Thanks to Gayle’s mother, Marjorie Gustafson, for teaching her that girls can learn anything if they are willing to work hard. Thanks to all our parents for giving us a good sense of humor, and for showing us beautiful places to remind us that God is the creative genius who made this vast, gorgeous world.

 

To our dear friends, Brad and Joy Kroes, and Ken and Donna Stucki, thank you for encouraging us and never telling us that we were making a huge mistake to become writers. We are grateful for your faithful friendship, for laughter and good food, and for your indelible patience with our incessant puns and sarcasm.

 

We also thank August, Anne, William and Abigail Thurmer; Brandon and Kaylee Gustafson; and our church family for patiently cheering us on during this endeavor.

 

Finally, thank you to our readers who give purpose and fresh perspective to our writing. May you be inspired by our words, as you have inspired us to write.