Table of Contents
Foreword 11
The Way Hearts Die 15
An Invitation to Stay
1 Chapel and Charlie 23
An Invitation to Be an Outsider
2 The Guard Shack 29
An Invitation to Make Mistakes
3 My Addiction 35
An Invitation to Neediness
4 The Lake 43
An Invitation to Vulnerability
5 Naked Mango Eating 49
An Invitation to Your Loneliness
6 Fox Island 59
An Invitation to Feel Pain
7 The Coffee Shop 71
An Invitation to Listen
8 My Friend Sam 77
An Invitation to Break and Surrender Dreams
9 When He Proposed 85
An Invitation to Sit in the Weeds
10 547 East 6th Ave 97
An Invitation to Hurt for Home
11 Showing Up 107
An Invitation to See
12 Glow 117
An Invitation to Fear
13 Sushi and Friday Night Lights 123
An Invitation to Be Embarrassed
14 What Rissa Said 137
An Invitation to Scarcity
15 Noelle Hope 147
An Invitation to Wait
16 Exposed 153
An Invitation to Come Out of Hiding
17 Old Spaghetti Factory 167
An Invitation to Hold On
18 Savor 173
An Invitation to Grow Old
19 29 Weeks 183
An Invitation to Trauma
20 The Morns We Love Club 193
An Invitation to Bleed
21 Orange 199
An Invitation to Be Loved
Discussion Questions 207
Thoughts to Consider
Acknowledgments 215
Notes 221