This is a special book about special people. People who have loved me, and whom I have loved. People who have brought me joy beyond measure, and sometimes incredible pain. People I have hurt, sometimes more than I can bear to think about. People who have hurt me, sometimes more than they know. Yet each of their gifts has been precious, each moment treasured, each face, each smile, each victory, each defeat woven into the fiber of my being. In retrospect, all of it is beautiful, because we cared so much. In essence, this book covers fifteen years of my life, and a handful of precious people who mean, and have meant everything to me. This book is written for them.With much love, d.s.From the Paperback edition.