Prologue

I dedicate this note, and the notes that follow, to my children. As your mother would tell you, I often express my feelings and rationales in metaphors. On more than one occasion this has left her confused; with brief explanation I can sometimes bring her to some semblance of understanding (the other times she is left thinking I am just nuts). I have long believed that if there is a god, that said god would want me (and all of us) to discover life on our own, to experience and embrace its joys and its pains as a part of a larger human experience. Along my journey (very much ongoing, given your mother is seven months pregnant), I have found these thoughts as collected in these writings, as one might find coins underneath rocks. This writing is my attempt to pass these coins onto you. I hope you learn from them as I have treasured them. As you grow, I hope someday you discern for yourself those coins which are keepers and those which are washers. Perhaps most important, I hope with all my heart you find coins I never found, enjoying the hunt all the while. There is treasure to be found. Dad