Acknowledgements

While the writing occurs in quiet solitude, the experiences of
creation are full of breadth, encompassing many people who contribute
their time and expertise, and most importantly, their belief in the work.
The following people are a part of my journey in creating the poetry
of Memories, Thoughts, and Dreams. I have been truly fortunate in
their participation in my life and in my work, both artistically and
professionally. They deserve a special acknowledgement for their
unique contributions.

Thank you to my publisher, XLIBRIS, for affording me this wonderful
dream of sharing my book with the world. Your team support has been
incredible and I really appreciate all the attentive TLC you have shown
me as a newly published writer.

Thank you to my editor, Shannan Anderson, for her special talent
in teaching me to always be aware of the reader, to consider how others
may view what I am trying to express, and to understand that sometimes
what I write isn’t necessarily what the reader reads — one must always
have respect for the reader! This is a critical distinction to make and I
am very grateful for such insight.

Thank you to my staff, my colleagues, and the hundreds of
volunteers who worked with me and for me at the Broward Center
for the Performing Arts. We shared a wonderfully dedicated interest
in the arts, and you have left an indelible sense of the importance of
collaboration on my professional psyche. I am also very grateful for the
thousands of patrons who supported our work and in the pleasure I had
in coming to personally know so many of them.
And a special thank you to my dearest friends and family for their
continued support and enthusiasm for my life’s journey and this book
of poetry. They all know that I love and cherish them deeply.

The Beginnings of My Book

As I am preparing this book for publication, I am reminded of the many

people who have passed through my life and gifted me with experiences,

positive and not-so-positive, that are reflected in this book of poems.

For me, poetry is a language that has the most appropriate wording and

structure that allows me to express myself. It is a language that most

easily encases what I am feeling. The poetry that fills these pages began

rather innocently, with scribbles of words, then lines and phrases,

scratched on cocktail napkins and the odd scraps of paper. After a

while, a pattern began to emerge, like a musical score come to life, a

performance of dance brought to movement, or an inspiring landscape

swashed across a canvas. It became clear that my heart had things to

say.

Yet, poetic inspiration and flowery verse are not the primary reason

for my writing this book. Rather, my reasons for self-expression are

about the reflections one catches of oneself when one’s relationships

hold up the necessary and appropriate mirrors for self-exploration. I

believe this is how we come to understand ourselves, and in doing so,

come to understand one another.