An Autobiography of an Unwavering Optimist

This essay began as a tapestry woven from various sources: my own notes, discoveries from my parents’ writings after their passing, postcards and letters exchanged with my children during their summer camp days, correspondence with overseas friends, and heartfelt messages from coworkers, patients, and their families. When the opportunity arose to contribute a psychobiography for an edited book, I enriched this collection with responses to my “calls for prompts” from my family, adult children, and friends—a chosen family.