I salute my "top five"--those who have had the most positive influence in my life: (1) My husband of 38 years, Father Basil/Doctor William Cushman (yes, he's an Orthodox priest and a physician); (2) My daughter, Beth, who, at age 26, is a model to me of so many things I still want to be; (3) My best friend, Daphne Davenport, who loves me unconditionally, never judges me, and always supports me in my personal and spiritual journey; (4) My spiritual father, Father John Troy Mashburn, Pastor of St. John Orthodox Church in Memphis, who literally pulled me from the pit of darkness that I fell into eighteen years ago, and nurtured my return to God and the Church, hears my confessions without judgding, and always points me to Christ; and (5) Mother Gabriella, Abbess, Holy Dormition Monastery, Rives Junction, Michigan, the most transparently wise and loving woman I have ever known, who has loved me through every stage of my bumpy spiritual journey.