"Why is it we must suffer the loss of something so dear before we realize what a treasure we had?Why must the sun be darkened before we feel how genuinely impossible it is to live without its warmth?Why within the misery of absence does love grow by such bounds?Why must life be this way?It is a strange existence where such suffering makes us far better people."

"Three carefully stringed words are worth more than a book of gibberish. It's not the word count but the impact of those words that counts."

"Always be good, but be wickedly beautiful."

"Since when is failure more appealing? Never give up."

"The road to happiness starts with a deep breath and an awareness of the many blessings tied to that single breath."

"It has never been my goal to impress anyone but myself. That has proven challenging enough."

"It is darkness that reveals the brightest stars and most ardent wishes."

"I sometimes wonder if life isn't a giant mirror that reflects back at me everything I hold up to it."

"Fathers are - The teeth on a saw, The head of a nail, The blades on a mower. Fathers are - The grit in a tumbler, The cement in the pit, The coin for the machine. Fathers are - The air in the tires, The spring in the suspension, The key to the ignition. Fathers are... the confidence in a dare, The energy of a command, The boots for the trail. Tis true you might make things work without them, but not at all like they were meant to."

"So you had a bad day. Kick it aside and be grateful for one less bad day to pass through."

"If you ever expect to write fairytales, you've got to get your head in the clouds."

"An inexhaustible imagination is the fountain of youth."

"More. To have days cut off and at their end. To never again..........anything."

"Stubbornness is surely just taut-jawed, clenched-fisted madness."

"The greater self-confidence an individual possesses, the less inclined he is to put down others. This says a lot about those who constantly belittle."

"Life isn't all grand, but it isn't all miserable either. There's both sweet and sour in every day. So why focus on the ugly when you can gaze at what's beautiful? Concentrate on the good."

"Hey, pretty book, why don't you lie in my lap awhile?"

"Jesus Christ died to save us from our sins; we tend to concentrate on that merciful fact. But isn't it also true He lived to show us a lifestyle free from sin? So, wouldn't following in his footsteps be something like preventative medicine?"

"Take time to laugh, to talk, to hug, and to cry. These are the human relief valves."

"Gratitude possesses all the energy of a sunbeam. That is how it makes life blossom."

"Every book is its own black hole. Don't fight the pull, find out where it takes you."

"The richest people are those who have an abundance of what we take with us into the next life."

"Monsters excite us in this way or that.They make our pulse thrum and steal lives from the cat!They're frightening creatures, one peek and you'll see.Yet life without monsters, how dull it would be.Your tense, nervous laugh tells me you disagree?"

"Christmas is like candy; it slowly melts in your mouth sweetening every taste bud, making you wish it could last forever."

"The truth is, when you have little to do, you do very little. But when you have much to do, you do much. So it should make sense that by taking on more than you can handle, you accomplish more than you ever dreamed you could. And so it is."

"You will find there are times you must grasp your life with both hands and forcefully steer it in a new direction and then strain to hold your course until the storms of fear, weakness, and doubt abate."

"How often it is that we set ourselves in the high seat, judging others, not having read their book but merely having glimpsed the cover."

"Thank you for the day and night,for rainy spells and summer's light.Thank you for the skies of blueand puffy clouds in grayish hue.Thank you for the gigglefestsand midnight's cloak to hasten rest.Thank you for tomorrow newand yesterday's tomorrow too.Thank you for "I'm glad we metand also for "we haven't yet.Thank you for the peace of mind a grateful soul doth always find."

"Why only gaze at the stars? Catch one!"

"The magic of reading happens when an author's written work strings you along until your imagination, aware of your wants, molds the tale into an extraordinary world to be visited frequently-perhaps dwelt in for years."

"I know you would like to blame the world, but the fact is that life is an 'up to you' thing."

"Learn to look up now and then, just in case a piano is falling from overhead."

"Books are carnival rides for your imagination."

"The real achievers are those who, in the dreary pit of sacrifice, still smile up at the goal."

"A pang of guilt, like a blaring siren, should never be ignored."

"Chew off a little every day, because it's hard to swallow a whole pie at once."

"Nature awakens each day in brilliant autumn colors, making me wish the pale winter would bid adieu."

"Mothers were meant to love us unconditionally, to understand our moments of stupidity, to reprimand us for lame excuses while yet acknowledging our point of view, to weep over our pain and failures as well as cry at our joy and successes, and to cheer us on despite countless start-overs. Heaven knows no one else will."

"There's enchantment in a smile, did you know?Shall I prove in a wink that it is so?Watch my mouth grin wide and see,How quick your lips smile back at me!"

"My knight may not wear a coat of shining armor, but his code of glowing honor will never fail to protect us both from evils far worse than any fire-breathing dragon."

"The moment a person feels he has nothing left to learn is the moment life prepares to hit him hard enough to correct such ignorance."

"The ears and the heart are connected, it's true,for when ears open wide, the heart opens up too."

"Observe the Lord's Day as he would have you, and perhaps He will observe your days as you would have Him."

"The sign of a good leader is easy to recognize, though it is hardly ever seen. For the greatest leaders are those who share as equals in the trials and struggles, the demands and expectations, the hills and trenches, the laws and punishments placed upon the backs of those governed. A great leader is motivated not by power but by compassion. Therefore he can do nothing but make himself a servant to those whom he rules. Such a leader is unequivocally respected, and loved for loving."

"Punishing a person for the wrongs of another makes about as much sense as throwing up to enjoy the meal a second time."

"A new star shines bright.Angels herald the good news.The Christ child is born."

"Love is the ultimate no-calorie sweetener."

"Lies don't fit snugly into disguises. Eventually the cloak falls off and you're left staring at the naked truth which is always an uncomfortable situation."

"You won't solve your problems by drowning others in them."

"I shall ne'er chase rainbows again, Knowing no pot o' gold awaits at the end. My Irish treasure is not there. For ye, my love, abide with me here."