This book picks up where Marianne Bankert’s award-winning first book left off. From the 1990s to 2020, Watchful Care, volume II, follows the exciting progression of the nurse anesthesia profession and illustrates that CRNAs are expert clinicians, researchers, innovators, and integral members of healthcare teams.

I selected this book because of the influence of this work in my teaching and professional nursing practice. My hope is it will be useful for other faculty and students in their own nursing careers.

My second monograph, Network of Bones, started as a chapter in this collection. In addition, the editor, Jeff Rice, has always been very encouraging of my work.

Bilbo said yes to his unexpected journey.

This book taught me what it means to study something deeply. It has inspired me both as an academic and as a person of faith in my pursuit of truth and understanding.

There is no doubt that we live in a challenging world. This book is a great read to encourage readers to strive to embrace love and kindness, even toward the most difficult people, helping us grow in patience, empathy, and understanding. Through his heartfelt and humorous stories, Goff illustrates how loving without limits can bring joy, transformation, and a deeper sense of purpose in our everyday lives.

After several difficult years of the pandemic, I wish to present the library, and all of us, with some whimsy. I am a life-long Jim Henson fan and continue to find wonder and comfort in the world he created. Let us continue to celebrate the weird and wonderful.