DEDICATION

One night, in a dream, I saw a group of people. These people were deserving, lovable people. The problem was, they didn’t know it. They were stuck, confused—reacting to some crazy stuff that happened long ago.

They were running around in adult bodies, but in many ways they were still children. And they were scared.

These people were so busy protecting themselves and trying to figure out what everything meant, they didn’t do what they most needed to do: relax, be who they were, and allow themselves to shine.

They didn’t know it was okay to stop protecting themselves. They didn’t know it was okay to love and be loved. They didn’t know they could love themselves.

When I awoke, I realized I was one of them.

This book is dedicated to us, the recovering adult children and codependents. May we each awaken to the beauty of ourselves, other people, and life.

For helping make this book possible, I thank God, Nichole, Shane, Mom, John, Becky, Terry, Ruth, Scott, Lee, Linda, Carolyn, and my readers. Some encouraged and inspired me to write; some had to put up with me while I did.