Leigh Byrne > Quotes

“But that’s the danger of isolation; it lures you in with the deceptive promise of protecting you and then it feasts on your spirit.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Cockroach

“I am slowly learning to pluck the flowers of my past from the weeds, and place them in the window where I can see them first. ~Call Me Tuesday”
― Leigh Byrne

“Our inability to talk about the past was almost as damaging to our relationship as the past itself.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“I forgave my mother even though she had never asked for my forgiveness, or admitted she’d done anything for which to be forgiven. I forgave her for myself.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Cockroach

“We are always more discontented with others when we are discontented with ourselves.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“Transferring my anger and pain onto paper turns it into something tangible, something that can be shredded or burned, or at the very least, sealed shut in a box. ~Call Me Tuesday”
― Leigh Byrne

“What happened to me separates me from the normal world in a negative way. Like a handicap or disfiguring deformity, it's too horrible for some people to deal with, and it makes them uncomfortable whenever they're around me. ~Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday”
― Leigh Byrne

“Only a woman with no confidence or sense of self-worth would have allowed a man to dominate her in such a way.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Cockroach

“Becoming a recluse would have been my preferred way to live, but I couldn’t because of my children, and the necessity of a job that forced me to interact with people, the despicable creatures I didn’t entirely trust. But if I didn’t go to work I didn’t eat. And I had to eat. I had to eat, because I was a damn cockroach, a survivor, even if I didn’t want to be. I’d always been efficient at activating the protective mechanism of shutting off my feelings whenever I felt threatened. The problem had now become, lately, I always felt threatened. Each day, I turned more and more reclusive, retreating”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Cockroach

“Wherever she was, love presided. She was not one to openly display affection, except for a hug here and there, but her love had a gentle constancy I could feel.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“Everything was fine with Mama and me, as long as I acted like nothing bad had ever happened between us.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“Children—and perhaps the elderly—are the only true victims of abuse. As adults, we are only victims when we allow ourselves to be. The instant we make the decision to strike back, we become warriors. When the fight is over, we will have either won or lost, but one thing is for sure, we will not have been victims.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Cockroach

“I was aware of the emptiness within, a gaping hole inside, where it felt like something of substance should have been.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“With sincere concern, and genuine tears pooling in her eyes, Dani gave me her full attention, sitting quietly until I got it all out. Her total faith that what I was saying was true breathed life into my story. It did happen. Talking openly and honestly helped me to understand that the most significant hindrance to my healing process had been my inability to discuss the details of my childhood abuse. Telling Dani was a positive step, possibly my first on the path to healing.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Cockroach

“discontented with ourselves.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“you lemons, make lemonade.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“where there are no snakes, only snake shadows”
― Leigh Byrne, There's Been An Accident

“But I was slowly learning to pluck the flowers of my past from the weeds and place them in the window of my mind where I”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“With mature eyes, I could now see that what you want at twenty is not necessarily what you will need when you’re thirty.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Cockroach

“moment of his life. Right before he left,”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“Ladybug, I’m glad you’re here.” I felt her arms around me. “I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“While I had lived at home, my struggle to survive had defined me. It had given me a reason to be miserable, to be bitter. It had provided me with a convenient excuse for not fitting in or excelling in school. It was why I didn’t have any friends. Without it as my driving force, I had no idea who I was, or what to do with myself.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“had ever happened between us.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“It was still early, so we took advantage of our time together. We played our favorite songs on her record player and danced and sang along into a hairbrush. When we grew tired of singing, Kat styled my hair in two ponytails, while we looked at teen magazines and swooned over pictures of David Cassidy.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“took the book from her and read the title. “A Child Called “It.” "What’s it about?” "You’re not going to believe this, but the man who wrote this book went through almost the exact same thing you did when you were a kid.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Cockroach

“one to openly display affection, except for a hug here and there, but her love had a gentle constancy I could feel.”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday

“pantyhose if”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Cockroach

“pretending”
― Leigh Byrne, Call Me Tuesday