Author Description

"This book is written as a tribute to my stepfather who played a key role in directing my life. I lost my own father when I was only 6 months old. My mother re-married when I was 12 years old. I felt utterly rejected and wanted to commit suicide. In the end, the nurturing and understanding nature of my stepfather helped not only to overcome my negative feelings, but also to accept and appreciate his contribution to my life with extreme gratitude. I thank God for opening my eyes to see what a blessing it was to have had a father figure in my life. Just before his death in 1984, I had a dream in which I told him, 'Thank You for being my Father.' In response, he passed on a 'gift' to me. It took me years to realise what that gift really meant and I have shared some of it in this book. Many years ago my stepfather also passed on to me his own life story hand-written as Sinhalese poems (kavi), to be made available to the next generation. This book has provided a platform for me to present them as an appendix. I hope this book will be a blessing not only to those involved in step-relationships, but to all who take time to browse through it."--Anne D. Perera's website.