The power of appreciation

Abstract

My heart is filled with a double helping of loving appreciation on this occasion. First, there is the appreciation I feel for the award itself. It affords a rare opportunity for me to celebrate the happy circumstances that have made it possible over so many years to engage with colleagues such as yourselves in the exciting enterprise of practice and discovery in Community Psychology. Second, there is the appreciation I feel for the loving labor that Jim Kelly invested in his introduction of me. He has treated it in the way he always approaches his work -wi th delight, excitement, devotion, and creativity. Through the use of his own Power of Appreciation he has given me a gift that few people ever e n j o y t h e privilege of hearing from so many dear friends, family members, and colleagues about how they experience me and my work. This occasion, including Jim's beautiful overture, is itself a demonstration of my topic, the Power of Appreciation. So much so, in fact, that I am tempted simply to say, QED and sit down. Since I first came across it in high school geometry, the expression QED has fascinated me. At long last I have an opportunity to use it. Quod erat demonstrandum; Thus it has been demonstrated. It has a lovely flourish, does it not, worthy of the Amen corner of any congregation. Though I recall little of the substance of high school geometry, the artistry of QED remains firmly implanted in my mind: a carefully reasoned set of propositions followed by the triumphant: QED, Quod erat demonstrandum. I have been deeply touched by being a recipient of my colleagues award for my work in Community Psychology. In response to this expression of