Writing this book was one of the most complex projects I’ve ever taken on. It took over 5 years, and I’ve lost count of how many drafts. But, imagine my surprise when I opened the book for the first time and went straight to page one. In that moment, I realized I forgot to include acknowledgements. Ugh!
This is my chance to make that right by recognizing so many friends and family who were part of this book writing journey.
First, I’d like to thank my husband Fred. He served as proofreader, editor, reviewer, promoter and chief cheerleader. His encouragement after reading the first draft pushed me forward.
Helen Baxter-Southworth was my accountability coach. I recommend having one if you’re ever need someone to push you through the times you run out of steam (and you will), or when you need to be reminded to celebrate the milestones that you might not recognize on your own. She was gracious enough to proofread the book one final time when I just couldn’t read it through again.
Thank you, Janice Wardle, for so many things, including taking that lovely cover photo – one of the rare photos of my mother and I before her stroke.
Thank you to Barrie Trimmingham who generously shared her publishing knowledge and encouraged me to educate myself about the evolving industry. And to Anndee Hochman, who led the Memoir Writing course at the Murphy Writers Retreat I attended in 2014. She gave me the permission I needed to refocus on my story rather than my mother’s, and to the courage to write about things that others might not appreciate.
My official Content Editor Anne Debuisson’s professional eye and guidance allowed me to trust that I was producing something worthy of sharing with the world. Thank you to the rest of my team of content and copy readers: Cynthia Quinton, Judy Harris, David Brown, Danielle Johnson and Denise Ruffin.
There are so many people who walked with me through my caregiving journey. The pages of this book are a tribute to them. They were the village that surrounded me as I faced caregiving – sometimes with grace, sometimes not.
I fear I’ve forgotten some here, but it’s not because you weren’t important to my book writing process. The great thing about online acknowledgements is that they can continue to be written after they’re published.
I’m sure I’ll be updating these acknowledgements as I search my memory going back to March 5, 2010 — when it all began.