Enough
Page 31
“What a wonderful world it would be if we could accept ourselves for who we are instead of who we think we should be. In honor of my grandmother and all the love she gave and all the hope she inspired, I officially open the Kaylynn London Center for Women. To offer hope where there is none, light where there is darkness, and acceptance in her name and in her memory. Thank you.”
As the crowd applauds, Nick joins me to cut the ribbon. He reaches out his hand and touches my stomach before his lips press to mine. After I shake a few hands, I take a step down and turn to face the mirror on the wall. Nick steps down and shakes the hand of a man behind me. I stare lovingly at his reflection and then at my own. “I am enough,” I whisper to the girl in the mirror, and she believes it.
WHERE DO I begin? Let me first start by thanking my readers. I wouldn’t be where I am without your constant love and support. Thank you for taking a chance on me. I love you all.
To my sons, Tyler and Ryan. You are my sunshine in the darkness. You give me hope and keep me pressing forward. I will never, ever be able to tell you in words how much I adore you. I hope you can tell by the smile you put on my face and by the love that exudes from my heart.
To my husband. Thank you for your patience and encouragement. Thank you for believing I can do anything and everything.
To my wonderful, amazing mother, Diane Chiletz. You are and always will be the standard by which I judge myself. If I can ever be half the mother you have been, then I know I will have done well. Thank you for always listening and understanding. Thank you for making me believe I’m enough. I love you.
To Kim Hurschik. What can I tell you that I haven’t said before? I don’t know why God does what he does, but I do know that there’s a reason that you and I are friends. We are sisters, not by blood, but because God knew that no one woman could handle us together growing up! Thank you for supporting me and believing in me at every crossroad and every turn. In case I haven’t told you yet today, I love you.
To Monica Cimino. Thank you for always making me smile. For encouraging me to try and to never give up! You are the stuff real friends are made of.
To my beta readers, Christine Kuttnauer, Kim Hurschik, Jeri Johnson, Chelle Northcutt, Shirl Rickman (Walczak), and Christine Zolendz. You all are the most amazing group of readers ever. Thank you for your advice and unwavering support. I couldn’t have done it without you!
To Christine Kuttnauer. Sigh. Where do I begin? You… You really get me. I can’t tell you what it means to have someone understand me the way you do. To feel what I feel. You are such a gift to me. Thank you for reading, re-reading and reading again! Thank you for voice memos and pictures. For loving what I love and getting what I mean to say even when I don’t know myself. You are irreplaceable and way more than enough.
To Jeri Johnson. Thank you for six hour phone calls that felt like six minutes. For constant encouragement and support. And for being the friend I needed just when I needed it the most.
To Chelle Northcutt. Thank you for reading with honesty in the final moments before giving birth to the cutest little boy to ever grace Facebook posts. Your feedback is irreplaceable and your friendship is one I will always treasure.
To Shirl Rickman (Walczak). Where have you been all my life? Thank you for reading on the fly and encouraging me when I was at the end of my rope. Ours was a sudden friendship that felt instantaneous and meant to be. Some might say our destinies collided? Thank you for always responding to my texts and for late night blurb writing sessions. I’m so grateful to have you in my life.
To Christine Zolendz. Thank you for taking a chance on me and for your amazing feedback. I am honored to call you a friend.
To Sara Ney. My coolest and craziest friend ever. Thank you for always being willing to call me out and tell me when I’m doing it wrong. LOL! You get me and even still like me when I’m out of my head and losing my mind. How is that possible? When I grow up, I want to be you. Thank you for your amazing support and friendship. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to know you. I feel even luckier to say you’re my friend.
To Shawn and Tami Roark. Thank you for nursing advice and for incredible friendship. I love you both.
To Julie Titus of JT Formatting. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve your friendship, but I feel incredibly blessed to have it. Thank you for your extreme patience and tireless work. Your talent and gift of giving inspires me to always be the best me I can be.
To Murphy Rae of Indie Solutions by Murphy Rae. I don’t know where to begin. You took a chance with me and for that I will be forever grateful. Thank you for listening, encouraging and quickly responding to crazy, rambling messages. Thank you for knowing what I need to hear and just how to say it! Best Editor and Cover Designer in the world, people. Thank you for knowing what I want, when I don’t. Your friendship means more to me than you will ever know.
DAWN L. CHILETZ currently resides in Illinois with her husband, two boys and two dogs.
To find out more information, please visit her website at www.DawnLChiletz.com.
Follow her on Instagram, Twitter and on her author page on Facebook.
Other Titles by Dawn
The Contest series
The Contest
Waiting to Lose