Thanks to the many people who have impacted my life and influenced the writing of this book:

—To my birth parents, for giving me the gift of life

—To my adoptive parents, for giving me a home when I had none

—To my physician/therapist, Dale Theobald, Ph.D., M.D., and therapists Marilyn Ryerson, M.A., and Susan Scherer-Vincent, M.S., CCSW, CMFT, for walking with me through the painful parts of my journey

—To fellow-adoptees, for telling their stories so that others could be healed

—To Mary Ellen O’Neill, former senior editor at Dell, for having a vision for this project

—To Traci Mullins, my editor, for being a tender shepherd to this first-time author

—To my family, Bob, Lisa, John, Eliana Joy, Chrissie, Mike, Austin, Blake, and Cole, for being who they are … the joy of my life

—To God, for turning misery into ministry