Brave Enough To Be Bliss

Dedication

To my precious daughter, Kylee Bliss Bolen , without whom I may not have found the courage to be brave. I am eternally grateful for the gift and blessing you have been in my life. There are not sufficient words to truly convey what a joy it is to have you as my daughter, my inspiration, my champagne date, my travel companion, my supporter, my defender, my proofreader, my encourager, my medical show buddy, and my friend. I love you to infinity and beyond. xoxo To my self-compassion coach Ginger Rothhaas, who helped guide me to Ginger Bliss, someone I had never let anyone know, including myself. It’s as though you recognized my soul before you even met me. I believe God brought us together for his purposes, which we are still uncovering. Thank you for accepting me right where I was in my self-hatred and then gently teaching me self-compassion. There is no way to truly express the depth of my gratitude. I am so in awe of the amazing human you are. I love you and can ’ t wait to see what comes next! To Kathy Bliss and Sherri Miller , we may not legally be related anymore, but the impact you have had on my life is indescribable. You supported Kylee and I through very dark times with your unwavering encouragement, acceptance, love, care, and support. Thank you for mothering me so beautifully and teaching me how to receive that level of loving care. I am grateful for you, admire you, and love you beyond words. To Matt and Andrea Bliss , thank you for loving Kylee like you do and for your unwavering support of her. I will forever be grateful to you for dropping everything and coming to Kansas City as needed when she was hurting. For me, two of the most meaningful memories we all created together as parents are the Thanksgiving dinner we shared and celebrating at her wedding. The understanding and support you gave me during those moments were more meaningful than I can possibly express. To Llara Baska, DeAnn Campbell, Patricia Clarkson, Angie Curtis, Abby Eisenmann, Mindy Moore, Kris Moss, Tami Nichols, Michele Post, Janet Richardson-Barce, Lynda Shepherd, Angie Sinclair, Annette Small, Linda Smith, Laura Stombaugh, Lisa Ward, and Sheena Wyatt, who each came into my life at different points to love and support me through many difficult times. You taught me various lessons about love, family, friendship, laughter, loyalty, faith, freedom, me, and a host of other things. I feel blessed to have shared parts of my journey with you and truly cannot thank you enough for all you did for me and have been to me. To a most precious soul, Vrenda Pritchard , who saw my pain and hopelessness and cared enough to make sure I was safe. It's impossible to adequately thank someone who literally saves your life. I am hoping, however, that by sharing the crucial role you played in my story; others will be inspired to pay attention and find the courage to act like you did. While unfortunately my brain hasn’t recovered memories from the time frame when you were such a critical part of my life, I look forward to making new memori es now that we’ve reconnected. To Will Bolen, Wayne Miller, Clay Post, Shawn Wyatt, extended family and dear friends who are my chosen family, while I am blessed with more of you than I can mention by name, you know who you are and please don’t for a second doubt that I am talking to you with this dedication. I thank each of you for your kindness, love, support, and encouragement, and for giving me the honor of knowing you and a piece of your story. I love each and every one of you and feel blessed our lives are intertwined. To my bosses, colleagues, and employees , thank you for allowing me to walk with you professionally and also share parts of our lives together as friends. We worked together to help our organizations and the people we served, and it was one of the greatest joys of my life to learn from you and also help you grow. All along the way, you helped me become a better leader and person. Thank you for the lessons and the love. To John , this book became a love letter to you for all you were and always will be to me, and all you could yet become for yourself. I know in my heart and soul the best is yet to come for each of us. You ’ re a lot of great things and I love you.

None of us got here alone. We’ve been touched and held by so many. We’ve been medicated by the love of others. Directly or indirectly.… | Instagram

“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” Fred Rogers