Seven years ago, we met as coworkers. I felt drawn to her like she was a long-lost aunt. She was very pretty but didn't know it. She was too busy complimenting everyone else. She was a cheerleader for everyone she came across. On Halloween, she walked into the store with a cowgirl hat and a sparkly "Miss Ogden Blue" sash proudly across her chest.
I was doing all I could to fight the urge to return to self-harm. While she didn't know about my struggle at the time, just as no one else did, she could see the positive things I was doing. She would encourage me with my running and my artwork. She wanted me to get out of my comfort zone. And when I decided to do something new every week for a year, she not only believed in me, but asked me to join her for a new experience that proved to be one of the most entertaining and insightful of the entire book.
After I finished my adventurous year, a mutual friend started a writer's club as part of her senior project. Our group would have disbanded if this friend did not become our leader. She made sure our group met on a monthly basis, and the Wasatch Writer's Club kept me accountable for and energized about my manuscript.
She showed up at my art shows and races. She became a student of my painting classes. And when I wanted to call my book, "Your Expansion Zone," (which another student said sounded like what happened to his waistline during the holidays) she immediately said, "What about calling your book Cutting Free?"
She helped me design web pages and tighten my chapters. She told me to never give up on my work.
She recently read my entire manuscript. She did this so she could help write the back cover.
Your belief in me has been amazing. Thank you so much, Julie White, for providing me with the support and friendship I needed to see this through. I could not have done this without you.
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