"It is a sweet thing to have someone love you, but it is a far sweeter thing when his actions convince your heart, and his words persuade your soul."

"Fear comes at me like a massive bull with lowered horns ready to gore. But I have learned of the insubstantial nature of fear: if I stand my ground, it will pass right through me."

"Life's lessons aren't always new. Often they're the same old worn-out truths offering us greater depths of wisdom and understanding."

"You are not my sunshine. Sorry. You're more like a gust of arctic wind that bursts in and blows out all the candles when the door cracks open."

"Love in its essence is unconditional. When conditions, exceptions, and ultimatums are cast into the mix, its purity changes. It is no longer love and should be referred to by a less-desirable name."

"You stare at your dream from a distance, longing, sighing, seeing what you deem is a warning of IMPOSSIBLE. But if you would squint real hard you would see the truth; the sign correctly reads 'I'M POSSIBLE."

"Rainy, gloomy, drab, sunless day. There are times when hope seems entirely clouded over, when looking for the blessings in your circumstances feels like trying to catch a ray of sunshine from six feet under."

"What if dragons breathed bubbles and purred when they cuddled and giggled at chivalrous knights for their troubles?What if dragons felt soft, having scales made of cloth,and they moved rather slow like a brown-throated sloth?What if dragons were shyand did easily crywhen confronted by characters callous and sly?What if dragons did goodbut were misunderstoodso men mercilessly slew the beasts right where they stood?What if dragons aren't missedbecause there is no listof extinct types of quarry that now don't exist?"

"For things I am not thankful for-experiences I would never volunteer to relive-I recognize how they have changed me. My depth of compassion and humility, the sincerity of my empathy and understanding, and the duration of my patience have all been refined by bitter suffering. I thank God for the lessons learned. I am a better person for it, but I still abhor those awful trials."

"By small and simple sentences, great books come to pass."

"How insane we are as humans when having received a nasty offense we return the same awful offense. If given an apple found to be rotten and wormy, would we not toss it aside rather than force a soul to eat it? Offenses should be discarded, not returned."

"Be thankful for your allotment in an imperfect world. Though better circumstances can be imagined, far worse are nearer misses than you probably care to realize."

"Don't ever give up. Don't ever give in. Don't ever stop trying. Don't ever sell out. And if you find yourself succumbing to one of the above for a brief moment, pick yourself up, brush yourself off, whisper a prayer, and start where you left off.But never, ever, ever give up."

"I don't so much mind looking back on having lost the election, or having been denied a role in the play, or having had my novel repeatedly rejected, or having been turned down for a date, or recalling laughter at my expense when I attempted some silly challenge. Those things simply prove that I lived life. What I do mind, however, is looking back on the lost opportunities where imagined concerns kept me from even trying-lose or win. I've learned that there is no regret in a brave attempt, only in cowering to fear."

"Helpful is happy. Selfish is sad. (It's not uncommon to confuse the two.)"

"Art doesn't bare itself to just anyone, but to believers called artists."

"When words can't make it better, hold my hand and don't let go."

"Be someone's security blanket when theirs is in the wash."

"One smile has the power to...Calm fears.Soften stone walls.Warm a cold heart.Invite a new friend.Mimic a loving hug.Beautify the bearer.Lighten heavy loads.Promote good deeds.Brighten a gloomy day.Comfort a grieving spirit.Offer hope to the forlorn.Send a message of caring.Lift the downtrodden soul.Patch up invisible wounds.Weaken the hold of misery.Act as medicine for suffering.Attract the companionship of angels.Fulfill the human need for recognition.Who knew changing the world would prove so simple?"

"When I say I love the silence, I'm not being entirely truthful. What I actually love are the abundant, delicate sounds that amplify when I'm silent. These curious creaks, mutters, and hums compel my imagination."

"Happiness is feeling confident that the god of this universe is pleased with the things you say and do."

"Flames burn so long as they are fed. Rivers rage so long as it rains. The sun rises so long as the earth rotates. Prayers are answered so long as they are uttered.Hope exists so long as there is a new day. Miracles never cease so long as there is faith. Love endures so long as kindness rules all actions. Dreams thrive so long as they are pursued. Never give up so long as you live."

"I am grateful for hands to tickle with. Not so grateful for that process in reverse, however."

"Gratitude is a grinning attitude."

"Imagine the greatness this world would know if kindness were as contagious and enduring as the common cold."

"Mind what you say, but mind more closely what you do. For though children close their ears to you, their eyes remain wide open."

"When there is not enough time to do your best, do the best you can with the time you have."

"Do you feel that? It is a calm shift in the wind. Do you hear that? It is a soft whisper of hope. Do you see that? It is the divine hand of guidance, mercifully extended to aid our good fight."

"The sun, moon, and stars God gave to the world, but He embedded their glories in your countenance just for me. Woven in your hair are the sun's shimmering golden rays. From your face glows the pale luminescence of the moon. And in your eyes God sprinkled a million stars to twinkle against a backdrop of endless night. You are my celestial light."

"One bad turn does not excuse another."

"I like bubbles in everything. I respect the power of silence. In cold or warm weather I favor a mug of hot cocoa. I admire cats-their autonomy, grace, and mystery. I awe at the fiery colors in a sunset. I believe in deity. I hear most often with my eyes, and I will trust a facial expression before any accompanying comment. I invent rules, words, adventures, and imaginary friends. I pretend something wonderful every day. I will never quit pretending."

"Sometimes the difference between success and failure is simply the degree to which you crave one over the other."

"It's not wrong to feel sorry for yourself. Just like it's not wrong to stand in a puddle of water while the rain pours down on your head. But neither is productive, unless you enjoy feeling cold and miserable and soggy while mascara runs down your face."

"Thanksgiving is not only being aware of the abundance of good in the world but embracing it."

"What I learn today I shall know forever. Whether or not I remember that I know it is a different story."

"Sometimes while gazing at the night's sky, I imagine stars looking down making wishes on the brightest of us."

"A little porch light from a distant farmhouse dimmed, feeling alone and unneeded until his smallest spark of illumination snuffed out entirely. The night fell as dark as it was quiet. Meanwhile, every secret eye within the vicinity-from insect to animal to human wanderer-stopped to blink, suddenly blinded. Their guiding light had vanished, extinguishing hope in the hearts of many. That little light had mattered, but he knew it not."

"Time and again the sun sets like a bedimming curtain before my eyes, taking with it all illumination, warmth, and color. I am overwhelmed by night and the monsters that lurk in shadows of despair. But alas, stars twinkle from afar, shedding the tiniest rays of lighted hope. I am reminded that the sun also rises and that morning's glory shall restore beauty to my world. The realization of this dream is only a matter of waiting out the dreary night. So, I shall persevere."

"Have you noticed how children never bypass a puddle of water, but jump, splash, and slosh right through it? That's because they know an important truth: Life was meant to be lived; puddles were meant to be experienced."

"Christmas, when observed with the right spirit, still has the power to call miracles from Heaven to Earth."

"It's been a harsh fight.You've been pummeled and knocked down. Your body aches, flesh torn and bruised. Your eyes can hardly see through a stream of blood. But you are cognizant and alive; therefore, you rise from the fight.This is life. It will test your will, your strength, and endurance. It will challenge your faith and convictions. It will scar your hopes and try your beliefs. In the end, life validates those who refuse to stay down."

"Life works on the same principle as a boomerang. It's simple, really-what you send out you get back. A smiling face receives many smiles. Friendliness finds itself surrounded by friends. Giving hugs creates hugs. Offered help is reciprocated. In contrast, if you hurt people you will find much hurt in your life. Unkindness begets unkindness. Misery begets misery. A dour face will receive many sour looks in response. That said, it is easy to understand that if you want a happy life you must contribute to the happiness of those around you."

"There is strength in numbers, yes, but even more so in collective good will. For those endeavors are supported by mighty forces unseen."

"When you open your mouth, listeners are offended. When you close your mouth, the expectant are offended. If a person seeks misdoing from you they will find it regardless of whether or not you deliver."

"It's one thing to give out excellent advice, but quite another to personally swallow it."

"To be a rainbow in someone's cloud is commendable, but I prefer to be the rain because it dampens cheeks and washes away tears."

"The reason people fail to reach their goals is because they give up too early. They don't understand that most successes are built upon foundations of multiple attempts."

"Kindness is a magical spell-performed by enlightened beings-meant to enchant hearts and lift weary souls that they might fly."

"Many people believe they have found the key to Heaven's gate, not realizing that there is no key hole. It is a barrier upon which you must knock. And I believe that it is by our small and simple acts of kindness that we find the gate left ajar."

"True greatness demands humility, the journey draws it from your struggling soul."