This book began several years ago as a sort of self-assigned therapy. I began to think about some of the positive influences in my life and to write about them rather than dwell on the many negative things going on in the world. This process has been helpful to me and I hope it will be helpful to others as well. The book is composed of character sketches and essays, most of which are based on real persons who have been influential to me as teachers or mentors, and whose contributions to my thinking have been valuable beyond any words I could find. I've written these reflections with respect and love, not only to honor those who have given me so much, but also to point out we all can learn a lot from the people we encounter in the course of our lives. The people we meet and work with can teach us a great deal about making the most of our own talents and abilities. I have written this book not to glorify myself, nor to imply that I always live up to what I've learned - far from it - but to say everything I've done has been done in response to the gifts of others. I've been standing on the shoulders of my teachers for most of my life. This book is my way of expressing my gratitude to them for having been one of their students.