Acknowledgments

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To my wife Carol I can’t begin to express my appreciation for all the support, patience, and love that have made this book possible. Your vocal belief that “I have a message to deliver” has added much to the creation of this book. And, you are the “crown jewel” of my personal safety net. You, and my great step-sons, Matt and Erik, in health and in sickness provide the family and the base that make life most wonderful. I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart.

To the countless individuals and families I have been fortunate to get to know through my professional work, I will be forever grateful.

To the many family members and friends I am blessed to have as a part of my life and whose ongoing love and care sharing provides riches in my life beyond anything I could have imagined, I thank you.

To the many mentors and colleagues, Bonnie Genevay, Wendy Lustbader, Marty Richards, Rick Meyer, Denise Kline, Dr. Albert Wettstein, Kevin Host, Patricia Valdez, Mary Lynn Pannen, and Bonnie Brown Hartley, to name only a few: I am thankful for the opportunity to learn from your unique gifts and use of both head and heart.

To my co-author, Judy, I am grateful for all I have learned from you in the last thirteen years. Your capacity to be thoughtful amidst strong emotion and to hold many complexities in your mind and weigh them individually and collectively has taught me much. And above all, your consistent friendship and intellectual integrity has inspired me.

– Dr. John Gibson

Writing this book has been a work of love. It has grown out of my family: both the family of my birth and that of my heart. Dad and Vivian, Kate and Dave, Mary and Roger, Pete and Deborah, Frank and Chris, Michael and Ginny, Brad and Judi, Pam and Rich—thanks to each of you for all the love and lessons in teamwork. To each of my children, Stephan, Cari, Sean, and Damien, I want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to love you and to learn from you.

Abundant thanks go to my mother, Virginia Helsell, and to Denise Boyd, Todd Hara, Wairimu Kiambuthi, and Marijo Reinhard—all have helped me with big lessons in working together. Bill Helsell has assisted greatly in teaching with love how to step back from a situation to gain a neutral view. It’s been amply demonstrated that there is enough love to go around and spill over the edges of the container of our hearts.

Zapote Raphael and Trudy James have contributed to both my education and to this book as teachers, mentors, and friends. Without their exposure to care-team work I’d not have had a context within which to write. Trudy’s encouragement and input particularly have immeasurably improved this work.

Anna Kemper Wollenweber has a special place in my heart. She has supported me intellectually and emotionally as I’ve learned about and participated in care-share teams.

Thanks, too, to the numerous people who have read the manuscript as it’s progressed, giving feedback, endorsements, and encouragement.

Lastly, I have overflowing gratitude to John Gibson for being a wonderful person with whom to work.

– Judy Pigott

Together, we particularly want to thank our publisher Elliott Wolf. He came very highly recommended, and his wisdom and guidance met our high expectations at every point along this journey. From the very beginning his support and belief in the importance and value of our book made our many revisions easier and helped us push forward.

Special thanks must be extended to Ruth Kletchka for tirelessly typing what must have seemed like hundreds of drafts. Her timely, excellent work and always-pleasant manner was a joy for us.

Special acknowledgment to our editor, Karen Parkin, who has been a true master of her craft, and whose honesty and competence have been just perfect for the task at hand.

We also extend our thanks to David Marty, Amy Vaughn, Sean Boyd, Colleen Haiber, and all who helped in the production and promotion of our book.