Heartfelt thanks to the memoirists profiled in these pages. Their stunning books inspired my quest for companionship while writing my own memoir, and their amazing generosity of time and words opened the door for the creation of this book.
Deep appreciation to the good people who believed in this book and helped me navigate the unfamiliar territory of publishing it, especially my agent, John Talbot, and my editor, Helene Atwan. For their wonderful design work and copyediting, my thanks to the talented production team at Beacon Press.
I am profoundly grateful to the friends and family members who walked alongside me throughout this particular writing journey. Suzanne Strempek Shea championed this project from the beginning with boundless encouragement, feedback, and advice. I could not ask for a better mentor or dearer friend. To my close friends who are also writers—Danara Wallace, Jennifer Dupree, Philip Osgood, Sarah Church Baldwin, Amanda Pleau, Betsy Small Campbell, and Amanda Silva—thank you for pushing me on and understanding the angst of it all. For their support and love, thanks to Shayna Burgher, Meg Gould, Gretchen Warsen, Mindy Scales, Madeleine Lauzon-Dockrill, Sharon D’Errico, and Beth Barker. To my brave friend Hillari Wennerstrom, whose own very hard story intersected with the writing of this book, deepening my empathy and giving me an intimate glimpse into why the words shared in these pages have value beyond the writing community. Special thanks to dear friends Julie and Geoff Norris, who gave me the much-needed gift of space and tranquility in the final weeks of writing this manuscript by offering me their beautiful house on the beach in York, Maine. For his help in quieting my deepest insecurities and keeping my mental health somewhat intact, my sincerest thanks to Dr. Tim Bray.
And, finally, to my mother, brothers, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, mother-in-law, and father-in-law, I am consistently thankful for the knowledge that you are always just a phone call away to encourage and support when I need you.