This book chronicles the myriad diverse feelings I experienced during my long-distance relationship with my daughter.

Kristin was only four years old when Janet and I divorced. Immediately, she moved with her mother to another city hundreds of miles away. I was unwilling to let the separation turn to loss, so I determined to stay in touch somehow, to find a means of maintaining a close relationship. For me (a graphic designer) and Kristin (a preschooler), art emerged as the natural vocabulary to bridge—and overcome—our distance. Thus, via art, began a weekly series of art cards to Kristin, each card a visual poem, each card a variation on a theme, each card a graphic design that reflected stages in our lives.

The heart . . . the heart shape is the symbol I chose both to exemplify my feelings for Kristin and to serve as the cornerstone of my correspondence with her. Not only is the heart universally recognized by both children and adults, it can also express any joyful or difficult message that life requires. Indeed, the heart’s multitudinous meanings are ever present in all intimate relationships.

My cards to Kristin became the inspiration for this book.