I have called this collection of essays "From the Heart" because that is precisely how I feel, and why IÕve written: this work is an attempt to pay tribute to my twenty-eight aunts and uncles, those dear men and women who have significantly contributed to my growing up. My childhood Ð mine and my siblingsÕ Ð was shaped through the agency of a large family. Always our aunts and uncles were an important part of our lives, a considerable influence. Included in these essays are a few of the myriad clues about living and loving that I have learned from my aunts and uncles. Implicit in the writing is my grateful acknowledgment of their abiding affection for my brothers and sisters and me.