Acknowledgements
Thank you to my dearest husband and true love of my life, Bill. You reached deep inside yourself for the courage to take a step, though wobbly at first, to make a life with me. Your moral support throughout my writing has been a blessing beyond compare.
It is with deep appreciation I give thanks to my four children, Kay, Loyd, Rob and Trace known in the book as Susanna, Matthew, Wayne and Trace. I have been blessed and buoyed through life by the eternal love each of you shares with me.
Many thanks to my children-in-law Farouk, and Jan, known as Frank and Joanna in the book, as well as Michelle and Borna who have brought me so much happiness and helped complete my family circle of love.
To my beloved grandsons, Dustin and Adam, may you always be blessed with even more laughter, love and fulfillment than you have given me since your birth. I love you madly!
To the father of my three oldest children, known in the book as Blake Hayward…I wish nothing less than complete happiness for you. Though we were total opposites, we managed to walk side by side from our youth to our sixties as each of us grew into our own person.
To Bill’s children, their spouses and his grandchildren, thank you for bringing me into your circle of love and giving me the occasion to prove myself worthy to be Bill’s life partner.
To my sisters, Ruth, Mildred, Evelyn and Wanda, my brother Cecil, thank you for your love and encouraging words throughout my life and the writing of Taking Back Hedy. You are an eternal joy to me.
To you my dear friend Kathy Freeman, thank you for being my sounding board, encouragement and such a fun part of my incredible writing journey.
It is with sincere appreciation that I thank you, Jack Hillman, art director of Hillman Design Group, Sedona Arizona. Jack designed my book cover that truly depicts the essence of my story…And he designed my website. www.HillmanDesign.com
It was a pleasure to work with you Wayne King, of Peoria, Arizona. Thank you for your expert knowledge of photography and ability to give us the exact pose Jack Hillman needed to create the cover. www.waynekingphoto.com
A special note of appreciation to Stella Togo, a devoted content editor and book writing coach!
Stella, you have coached me for many hours and have lived every single page of my life with me. Your coaching is beyond reproach. Though many miles away, you wrapped your arms around me and coached me literally though each sentence. Nothing is left to chance with you. You have helped me to polish clean every word. My life and my writing have been enriched by meeting you, lovely lady. www.urbookcoach.com
Thank you, Stella.
A NOTE FROM HEDY TO THE READER
Regardless of where you are on your life path, my hope is that you gain lots of inspiration, love and encouragement from my life’s journey, Taking Back Hedy. It’s only the value it brings you that makes my efforts worthy of discussion or thought. I wish for you the ability to be discerning regarding the things that enter your daily life, to define your strengths and to focus your courage on a future of wonderful and meaningful relationships.
