Spell of the Pelicans

James Cooper my father passed away before he could write this foreword. He had been terminally ill for the entirety of his published writing career but wrote and created tirelessly. It was his wish for his poems and stories to survive him to leave us with great enduring beauty in the wake of such pain.Though this book is not about him strictly speaking there is so much of him in it. The story draws inspiration from his experiences: as a clinical psychologist son father husband aquatic adventurer and lifeguard seeker of ancient wisdom and keen student of the human condition. But beyond his experiences my fathers qualities and the essence of who he was flows through his writing. He appears to me as a river winding and playful bubbling with a whimsical curiosity a tributary feeding into a deep and patient lagoon that feeds into the ocean a place to which he had great love and connection. From somewhere beneath the surface of what we know secrets insights mysteries and truths drift elegantly to the surface bringing forth hidden meaning and an inquisitive smile.One of the last things my father said to me before he died was this: Always remember I am with you in so many ways. This book is one of those ways. May you know and appreciate him more through his stories and poems. For truly in the simple joy of perfectly buttered popcorn in the wonder of fireworks blooming overhead as well as in lifes most enduring transcendent truths: Always remember he is with us in so many ways now and forever.Cameron Cooper October 14 2018