Thank You

First of all, to you, my reader friend, thank you for walking this entire road with me. It means more than you can know. I’ve thought about you every day of writing and editing and planning and dreaming. This was always for you.

Writing this book, taking some most beloved pieces and adding them to new worked-up words, took a lot of people. I’m so lucky to get to work with this team at HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Laura, Molly, Carly—y’all are the best. Thank you, Scarlet Hiltibidal, for all your hours with me and these words. Dawn Hollomon, you did the hard work of editing this with me, and I’ll be forever grateful for all the ways it is the best book because of you. Tim, Hannah, Stefanie, Michael—thank you for helping this book get into the hands of as many of my friends as possible. From the cover design (Adam, you are my hero) to the layout of the words to the prayers lifted, I’m so thankful I don’t have to do this alone.

Thank you to Lisa Jackson for making this all work so smoothly and to Katie and Eliza and April (and Haile!) for running things at Downs Books Inc. when I’m smothered in words on pages. To them and to the rest of my team—Brian, Heather, Becky, Brian, Emily, Kelli, Chad, Leigh, Shaun, Patrick—I am a sinking ship without you. Thanks for being my sails.

To my family and friends, my people, the ones who put up with this crazy, unexpected life that is mine, thank you for being here.

To Jesus. You saved me once, but You rescue me all the time. When I feel like I’m looking so hard for You in all these pages, in my story and life, in the places I’m asking these reader friends to be brave, I’m thankful You always show up. I’m thankful You are not hard to find. You make me brave, and I’ll love You forever for it.