For Kevin, Lisa, and Ava -



To understand the whole, we must understand the pieces. Pieces of the past, pieces of experience, pieces of ourselves.



We are pieces of the people who surround us, and they are pieces of the people who surrounded them, and on and on through the generations. From our first breath to our last, our conscious collects the words and wisdom of others, and sometimes without us even knowing it, or without them even knowing it, those brief exchanges become the enduring guideposts of who we become and how we live.



Undoubtedly, the most influential pieces in our lives are shared with us by life's greatest teachers - our parents. Their lessons become our own lessons that we, and now you, will pass down to the next generation.



Here is a collection of wisdom from all of us who have so gratefully been a part of your lives in tribute to the newest, most beautiful piece of your family. The world is a better place because Ava is here and because she has both of you as her first and lasting teachers.