Judy H. Wright

Judy is a parent educator, family coach, and personal historian who has written more than 20 books, hundreds of articles and speaks internationally on family issues. She works with Head Start organizations and child care resource centers. She also volunteers time writing end-of-life stories for Hospice.

Judy and her husband, Dwain, have six grown children and seven grandchildren. Their greatest success in life is that their children like themselves and each other.

The symbol of the artichoke has great meaning in her teaching and writing. Working with families she sees that frequently only the outer edges are exposed and can be prickly and sometimes bitter. As you expose the artichoke and people to warmth, caring, and time, gradually the leaves begin to open and expose the real treasure—the heart. They were a teaching lesson when their young family moved into military housing in California to find Artichokes in their yard. Given that it takes two years to flower, the original gardener never got to see the seeds of her labor. Many times our actions and reactions in life are felt by people we will never meet, but we plant the seeds of kindness anyway.