The women in the community of Grace were very supportive and helpful to Doc Homer while he raised his daughters. When Codi learned of this, she gained a stronger feeling of belonging to Grace.
Loyd played a huge role in helping Codi begin to accept the fact that she belonged in Grace. Loyd and Codi's relationship started out very casual but ended up in marriage. Loyd helped Codi learn to accept the fact that she is from Grace. He told her, "It's one thing to carry your life wherever you go. Another thing to always go looking for it somewhere else" (236). Codi then realized that she had been running all her life, looking for a home, when her home was actually in Grace. Loyd continued to give Codi advice about her life and goals. One problem that Codi had was that she didn't think a lot of people loved her. When she discussed this with Loyd, he assured her, "you can trust that you"re not going to run out of people to love" (297). With words and comments like these, Loyd eventually helped Codi feel at home in Grace through their growing relationship. Codi then used the strong base of her relationship with Loyd and started making relationships with other people in the town. When Codi began to build more relationships, it helped her feel like she belonged in Grace.
By the end of the novel, Codi noticed that she did belong in Grace. The old feeling of not fitting in disappeared when she learned of all the "fifty mothers" who loved and cared for her and Hallie. She also started to build friendships with many people who in turn helped her fit in.
One thing that Codi lacked when she returned to Grace was courage. Her feeling of not fitting in was very discouraging for her. In Grace, Codi taught biology in the high school. As she progressed at her job, it provided her with a significant amount of courage. She also gained courage from Hallie's letters. Codi's courage level jumped a great deal as she settled in Grace.
