Yours Truly [h.s.]

thank you

To you,

I wanted to let Yours Truly live as it's own story. Immersive, almost, if you were to read it front to back. So bear with me through this thank you - I have seven chapters of authors notes to catch up on.

I'll start by saying thank you. For reading, for letting me put this out into the world, for showing it more love and appreciation than I expected. It means more than you know.

I had to get really raw to write this; raw and open and vulnerable. Tricky things. The kinds of things that make you want to peel back your skin to avoid. I've never been good at vulnerability, no matter how loudly I preach it. I'm not good at letting people peer into my windows and see what's really happening on the inside. So, thank you for letting me open my windows. For reading without judgement of the chaos inside.

Dove is so strongly me - both in Maine and in Florida. Every piece of her is a piece of me, and to put her into the world and acknowledge how worthy and strong and important she is has transformed my own understanding of myself.

It's okay to change; it's okay to adapt. We're not stagnant creatures. It's okay if you need to migrate - find some fresher air for a little bit of a change, whether you return home or not. It's okay if things break and burn and explode into streaks of violent color. It's okay. Because, in the end we're all human beings and we're all just trying to make it.

Don't fly before you're ready. The point of Dove's flight is not to say that you need to jump out of the nest and fly, too. You need to make sure you're prepared; that your wings can sustain you. There is no time limit; no pressure. You fly when you're ready to fly, not when you think you need to be ready to fly.

But, also, don't hold yourself back from flight. You'll know when it's time. You'll be itching for the wind beneath your wings and you won't be able to deny the feeling. Don't be afraid to take off. The nest is always here for you. To rest your tired wings. To repair your broken ones. To celebrate your adventures. I will always have room. I promise.

The beautiful thing about stories is that we can perceive "what comes next" however we see fit... know that Dove and Harry do not end up together in the end. Sometimes things don't work out. But we take our lived experiences and use them to mold and adapt how we react to experiences in the future. Dove and Harry have so much love for each other; they feel so strongly and they'll always smile when they think back on their love. I'm not sure where they end up, that's for you dream up, but they're not together. I promise that they're both okay; they're both happy.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for letting me share Dove, and, in effect, share myself. I'm grateful you're here; that you exist; that you're shining radiant light in every way. I can't wait to watch you take off and paint the sky in all of your brilliant color. I'm trying my best to get there, too.

Yours Truly,
Rhi