Preface
Three events set me on the path to write this book. The first event traces its roots to a post office in Smithtown, New York. My dad, Dr. Michael Lowitt, a psychotherapist, had long been curious about the fate of “Dear Santa” letters sent by underprivileged children. One wintry day in the mid-1980s he went to the post office and learned about the existence of a stack of “Dear Santa” letters that had gone unread, let alone unanswered. He took a sample of these letters home and was deeply touched by their contents. Amid the raft of letters asking for video game systems and the like were a set of letters asking for the barest of necessities: food, clothes, warmth. A man with the biggest heart around, my dad sprung to action that day. He ...
