Taya Kyle > Quotes

“When life brings you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“As we were wrapping up the book, I sat down and thought about all the lessons I’d learned over the past two years. I couldn’t list them all, but here are a few:

Never complain about the price of a gift from your spouse--accept it with love and gratitude. You can’t put a price on romance.

Take lots of videos, even of the mundane. You will forget the sound of your children’s voices and you will miss your youth as much as theirs.

Celebrate every wedding anniversary.

Make time for dates. Hug your spouse every single morning. And always, ALWAYS, say “I love you.”

Believe in your partner.

When you hit hard times as a couple, take a weekend away or at least a night out. The times that you least feel like doing it are likely the times that you need it the most.

Write love notes to your spouse, your children, and keep the ones they give you.

Don’t expect a miniature pig to be an “easy” pet.

Live life looking forward with a goal of no regrets, so you can look back without them.

Be the friend you will need some day.

Often the most important thing you can do for another person is just showing up.

Question less and listen more.

Don’t get too tied up in your plans for the future. No one really knows their future anyway.

Laugh at yourself, and with life.

People don’t change their core character.

Be humble, genuine, and gracious.

Before you get into business with someone, look at their history. Expect them to be with you for the long haul, even if you don’t think they will be. If they aren’t someone you could take a road trip across the country with, don’t do business with them in the first place.

Real families and real sacrifices live in the fabric of the Red, White, and Blue; stand for the national anthem.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“As a parent, we often have to make difficult decisions. We have to say no to our kids, even when it disappoints them. We tell them they have to do certain things for their own good, regardless of whether they like it. I think God is like that, in a way: making certain things happen for our eternal good. Even the suffering on earth, which will somehow be redeemed in heaven.
Does He say: Yes, you have to suffer, but you’re going to be okay. I have your best interests at heart. And you have something to learn.
At my darkest times, I struggled to believe this. I tried to remember that, even when things don’t go the way I’d hoped, He’s still there. And that maybe we need great disappointment to appreciate the good, and to better appreciate the meaning of God in our lives. I’ve come to realize that part of faith is opening yourself up to free will and knowing God will bring beauty, even in the midst of evil.
It’s one thing to say all this. To believe it every day--to live it and not despair--that is a struggle.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Sometime after Chris died, one of his friends said something offhanded about us having to leave our house. I was shocked, and demanded to know why.
“Because a ghost lives there,” he said.
He was speaking metaphorically about all of our memories. But that was exactly why I did not want to leave. I still felt Chris very strongly there, and I didn’t want to lose that.
By the fall of 2014, I realized that I feel Chris strongly everywhere I go. He’s so much a part of me that I can’t lose him. Physical places may suggest memories, but that’s all they do: suggest. The experiences are already deeply embedded in my brain and soul.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Whatever your gift is, bring it to someone else in their time of need. No gift---singing, writing, painting--is too small to share.

Give without expecting to get back.

People’s greed will shock you. Their generosity will shock you more.

Be unconcerned with what others think of you. If you are a good person, someone will always love you, and someone will likely hate you, too.

If you punch someone in a bar, get it on video.

Be unapologetic about your faith in God, Country and Family.

Everyone grieves differently. Don’t judge. And don’t be afraid to ask about a loved one who has passed.

Don’t expect perfection from anyone, especially yourself.

Learn when to let go of people who bring only pain.

Time and distance don’t change true friendship.

There is far more good in the world than bad.

Don’t have the first cigarette.

PTS is not an excuse for murder.

This country has many, many patriots in it; you are not alone.

Look for divinity everywhere--I promise you will see it.

Desperate people do desperate things.

Stress will age you.

Exercise relieves stress better than smoking.

When people lie about you, taking the high road can suck.

Pain does not have to consume you. When it’s unavoidable, respect it and let it have its place in your life without letting it take over.

God promises beauty through ashes. Give it time and you will see it.

Fame doesn’t bring happiness. Living a good life goes.

All makeup artists are not created equal.

Accept that you are human, and eventually you need sleep.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“March 28, 2005
I am so ready to be home I have already gone into autopilot mode. Just counting the days, waiting for that big bird to take me home. I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling good. Hopefully getting off the pill will help. Hopefully when I get home I can help with your emotions. Whatever you need, just tell me. I want to make things easy for you when I am home. At least as easy as possible. I love you so much gorgeous. Glad to hear your dad has busted his ass to help us out so much. We are so lucky with our family, I couldn’t have married into a better one. Not to mention couldn’t have married a better woman, cause there is none better. I also got an email from your niece. It was a PowerPoint slide that was real cute. It had a green background with a frog, and said she missed me. Sweet, huh. If she didn’t forward a copy to you, I can. Oh, about the birth control: You said you wanted ten kids anyway. Change your mind yet? What is Bubba doing that has changed? Is he being a fart or is he just full of energy? I’m sure when I get home you will be ready for a break. How about after I get to see you for a little while, you go to a spa for a weekend to be pampered? I REALLY think you deserve it. You’ve been going and going, kinda like the Energizer Bunny. Just like when I get home for sex, we keep going and going and going and going and, you get the point. Hopefully you at least smiled over that. I always want you to be happy, and want to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Even if it means buying a Holstein cow. Yuk! That’s big time love. Wow. I hope you have a good day, and can find time in the day to rest. I love you more than you will ever know.
Smooooooch!
-XOXOOXOXOXOXOXOX”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“One of the things that I’ve always felt missing from funerals and services is the voice of the man or woman who was the deceased’s partner in life. I’ve always wanted to hear from the person who’d loved them more than anyone. Biblically, the two become one flesh--the spouse is their other half. It has always seemed to me that his or her voice was critical to truly understanding who the deceased was in life.
I also felt that American Sniper had told only part of Chris’s story--an angry part in much of it. There was so much more to him that I wanted the world to know.
People said Chris was blessed that I hung in there during his service to our country; in fact, I was the one who was blessed. I wanted everyone to hear me say that.
Beforehand, a friend suggested I have a backup in case I couldn’t finish reading my speech--a “highway option,” as Chris used to call it: the way out if things didn’t go as planned.
I refused.
I didn’t want a way out. It wasn’t supposed to be easy. Knowing that I had to go through with it, that I had to finish--that was my motivator. That was my guarantee that I would finish, that I would keep moving into the future, as painful as it surely would be.

When you think you cannot do something, think again. Chris always said, “The body will do whatever the mind tells it to.” I am counting on that now.
I stand before you a broken woman, but I am now and always will be the wife of a man who is a warrior both on the battlefield and off.
Some people along the way told Chris that through it all, he was lucky I stayed with him. I am standing before you now to set the record straight. Remember this: I am the one who is literally, in every sense of the word, blessed that Chris stayed with me.
I feel compelled to tell you that I am not a fan of people romanticizing their loved ones in death. I don’t need to romanticize Chris, because our reality is messy, passionate, full of every extreme emotion known to man, including fear, compassion, anger, pain, laughing so hard we doubled over and hugged it out, laughing when we were irritated with each other and laughing when we were so in love it felt like someone hung the moon for only us…

I looked at the kids as I neared the end, talking to them and only them.
Tears ran from their faces. Bubba’s head hung down. It broke my heart.
I kept reading.
Then I was done.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“We got pregnant with Angel almost by accident. I was thinking it was just about time to go on birth control and wham-it happened. We wanted two children, but were thinking of spacing them out a little more. God and Angel had other plans.
I’m so glad. Bubba and Angel are so close in age and such good friends that I can’t imagine it any other way. But at the time, I was more than a little apprehensive about it. Once again, it worked out that Chris was preparing to leave just when I was due.
They say God only gives you what you can handle. Chris didn’t cope with crying babies very well. So either he paid the military to deploy him with each baby, or God was looking out for him with well-timed, newborn-avoiding deployments.
This time, the Team guy karma worked: the sonogram technician confirmed it was a girl several months into the pregnancy. She was going to be the first female born into the Kyle side of the family in eighty years. Which made her unique, and her grandparents particularly tickled.
Chris couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease them with the news.
“We’re having a boy,” he said when he called them back in Texas with the news.
“Oh, how nice,” they said.
“No, we’re having a girl.”
“Whoo-hoo!” they shouted.
“No, we’re having a boy.”
“Chris! Which is it!?”
“A girl!”
If they could have gotten away to visit us that night, I doubt they would have needed an airplane to fly.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Then there are other stories, touching ones, that don’t belong to me.
The other day a friend related a story he’d heard from one of Chris’s old schoolmates. Back in high school, a student who didn’t particularly know Chris had found the only open seat at the “cool” lunch table.
“What are you doing?” said one of the kids. “You can’t sit here.”
“Uh--“
Chris walked up and sat down. “Have a seat,” he told the young man.
He did. And no one bothered him at school the rest of the year.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Driving my daughter to a friend’s house one evening, she asked me about God.
“Why doesn’t God stop bad things from happening?”
I glanced back at her in the seat. Her eyes were big, her expression pensive.
“I’m sure he could, but that would break his promise to us,” I said, working the answer out. “Because he promised to give us free will, and that means that we are free to do bad things as well as good.”
“But other people?”
“Other people, too. All people have free will.” I worked to explain it, not just to her but to myself. “God promised not to leave us alone,” I said, coming back to an idea that has often comforted me. “It doesn’t mean we’ll always be happy. But He will always support us.”
Angel was thinking about her father and his death. I wondered if she was going to cry.
“It’s okay to cry,” I told her.
“I’m not going to cry,” she said. “I have a lot of questions about God. But I can’t think about them now.”
“You can always ask.”
“I know.”
“Are you angry with God?”
“No. He didn’t do this to us.”
“It’s okay to be mad at God,” I admitted finally--to myself. “He can handle it.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“In the immediate aftermath of Chris’s death, Bubba dealt with his grief by playing. He played all the time, with anyone and everyone who came to the house. It was his way of staying busy and not focusing on sadness.
Angel, younger, was a little more direct, though quieter. She often looked toward her brother as her spokesman and maybe test case: his emotions guided hers. She expressed her connection with her dad directly, mentioning that she often felt him still close to her. I came to take that as a comfort and reassurance: Chris walked with us still.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“From: “Chris Kyle”
Date: December 25, 2010 at 12:55:57 AM EST

I appreciate your upbringing and your respect. My dad would have kicked my ass if I didn’t call everyone sir or Mr. until they notified me otherwise. So I am telling you, my name is Chris. Please no more sir bullshit.
I went to college right out of high school, but did not finish. Sometimes I regret that. Now that I am out, I could really use the degree. Even if you think you will retire from the service, like I did, there is life after the military. I joined at 24 years old. I had some mental maturity over my teammates due to joining later. I also got to enjoy my youth. One thing about being a SEAL, you age fast. I was only in for eleven years, but I spent over half that time in a combat zone. Unlike other combat units, SEALs in a combat zone are operating. That means getting shot at on a daily basis. I had a baby face when I joined, and within two years, I looked as if I had aged 10 years. I am not in any way talking you out of joining. I loved my time, and if I hadn’t gotten married and had two kids, I would still be in. Unforeseen events will come at you in life. Your plants today will not be the same in four years. I am just trying to prep you for what is to come. I sit in an office or train other people on a range all day, every day. I would much rather be in Afghanistan being shot at again. I love the job and still miss it today. There is no better friendship than what the teams will offer. Once you become a SEAL, you will change. Your friends and family may think you are the same, but if they are really honest, they will see the difference. You will no longer have that innocence that you have now. Sometimes I even miss that person I used to be, but do not regret in any way who I have become. You will be much harder emotionally than you have ever imagined. The day to day bullshit that stresses people out now, fades away. You realize, once you have faced death and accepted it, that the meaningless bullshit in day to day life is worthless.
I know this was a long answer to an easy question, but I just wanted to be completely honest. Take your time and enjoy your youth. The SEALs are one of the greatest things that have ever happened to me, but once you are in, you will no longer be the same.

Chris Kyle”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“The kids helped keep me together as well. One day they came in from playing after dinner, and I told them I was just completely exhausted by work and everything else. I said I’d take a shower as soon as I finished up; then we’d read and get ready for bed.
They warmed up some towels in the dryer while I was showering and had them waiting for me when I was done. They made some hot coffee--not really understanding that coffee before bed isn’t the best strategy. But it was just the way I like it, and waiting on the bed stand. They turned down the bedcovers and even fluffed my pillows.
Most of the time, their gifts are unintentional.
Angel recently decided that, since the Tooth Fairy is so nice, someone should be nice to her. My daughter wrote a little note and left it under her pillow with some coins and her tooth.
Right?
The Tooth Fairy was very taken with that, and wrote a note back.
“I’m not allowed to take money from the children I visit,” she wrote. “But I was so grateful. Thank you.”
Then there was the time the kids were rummaging through one of Chris’s closets and discovered the Christmas Elf.
Now everyone knows that the Christmas Elf only appears on Christmas Eve. He stays for a short while as part of holiday cheer, then magically disappears for the rest of the year.
“What was he doing here!” they said, very concerned, as they brought the little elf to me. “And in Daddy’s closet!”
I called on the special brain cells parents get when they give birth. “He must have missed Daddy so much that he got special permission to come down and hang out in his stuff. I wonder how long he’ll be with us?”
Just until I could find another hiding place, of course.
What? Evidence that Santa Claus doesn’t exist, you say?
Keep it to yourself. In this house, we believe.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“I notice that you’re wearing your wedding ring,” he said after I sat down. “Do you think you might be in denial?”
I guess it was a fair question, but it caught me off guard.
“I know Chris is gone,” I said. “But I do feel as if I’m still married to him.”
I looked at my ring. It didn’t mean I was in denial; it meant I loved Chris. Yet the question bothered me.
My husband is dead, and of course I acknowledge it. But that’s different than shouting about it.
The ring is a symbol of our love as well as our marriage. How should I treat that symbol?
Do I have a problem?
I left the office in a quandary.
The Bible says “until death do you part.” I know that means that marriage lasts only until one death, and that it’s okay for me to marry again. I know good friends wo are widows, and I’ve encouraged them to marry, feeling it was right for them. One of my dearest friends decided to do just that this past summer. It hadn’t been that long since her husband had died, but things had just come together, and her new love deserved to be acknowledged. It was another case, to me, of finding beauty through the ashes.
“I kept asking God, why now? Why so soon?” she confessed. “The answer that came back was, timing doesn’t matter. Accept the gift.”
She’s right. People may judge her, but she had the courage and strength to admit that she had something beautiful, and that the right thing to do was act on it. I know with certainty that not only was the man right but the timing was as well. They have strengthened each other, and I’m sure will have a life together many can only dream of.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Back home, Chris struggled to readjust, physically and mentally. He also faced another decision-reenlist, or leave the Navy and start a new life in the civilian world.
This time, he seemed to be leaning toward getting out-he'd been discussing other jobs and had already talked to people about what he might do next.
It was his decision, one way or another. But if I’d been resigned to his reenlistment last go-around, this time I was far more determined to let him know I thought he should get out.
There were two important reasons for him to leave-our children. They really needed to have him around as they grew. And I made that a big part of my argument.
But the most urgent reason was Chris himself. I saw what the war was doing to him physically. His body was breaking down with multiple injuries, big and small. There were rings under his eyes even when he had slept. His blood pressure was through the roof. He had to wall himself off more and more.
I didn’t think he could survive another deployment.
“I’ll support you whatever you decide,” I told him. “I want to be married to you. But the only way I can keep making sense of this is…I need to do the best for the kids and me. If you have to keep doing what is best for you and those you serve, at some point I owe it to myself and those I serve to do the same. For me, that is moving to Oregon.”
For me, that meant moving from San Diego to Oregon, where we could live near my folks. That would give our son a grandfather to be close to and model himself after-very important things, in my mind, for a boy.
I didn’t harp on the fact that the military was taking its toll. That argument would never persuade Chris. He lived for others, not himself.
It didn’t feel like an ultimatum to me. In fact, when he described it that way later on, I was shocked.
“It was an ultimatum,” he said. He felt my attitude toward him would change so dramatically that the marriage would be over. There would also be a physical separation that would make it hard to stay together. Even if he wasn’t overseas, he was still likely to be based somewhere other than Oregon. We’d end up having a marriage only in name.
I guess looked at one way, it was an ultimatum-us or the Navy. But it didn’t feel like that to me at the time. I asked him if he could stay in and get an assignment overseas where we could all go, but Chris reminded me there was never a guarantee with the military-and noted he wasn’t in it to sit behind a desk.
Some men have a heart condition they know will kill them, but they don’t want to go to the doctor; it’s only when their wives tell them to go that they go.
It’s a poor metaphor, but I felt that getting out of the Navy was as important for Chris as it was for us.
In the end, he opted to leave.
Later, when Chris would give advice to guys thinking about leaving the military, he would tell them it would be a difficult decision. He wouldn’t push them one way or the other, but he would be open about his experiences.
“There’ll be hard times at first,” he’d admit. “But if that is the thing you decide, those times will pass. And you’ll be able to enjoy things you never could in the service. And some of them will be a lot better. The joy you get from your family will be twice as great as the pleasure you had in the military.”
Ultimatum or not, he’d come to realize retiring from the service was a good choice for all of us.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“We found out that Chris would be deploying very soon after Bubba was due. I was so thrilled about being a mother that doing it on my own for six months or so didn’t scare me. The fact that Chris wouldn’t be there to share his early days weighed on my heart, but otherwise I was confident and ready.
Right? You may suspect where this is going.
I planned to stay out on maternity leave as long as possible, then get some help once I had to go back to work.
I remained on the job until a couple of weeks before my due date. I was as big as a house and twice as hungry. Bubba-Chris’s nickname for our son-would move around every so often. Like most moms-to-be, I wanted to share the sensation with my husband. And like many fathers-to-be, Chris was just a little nervous about that.
“He’s moving,” I’d tell Chris. “Want to feel?”
“No, no, I’m good.”
Here’s a guy who is totally calm under fire, who can deal with all sorts of difficult physical situations, to say nothing of severe wounds-but put a pregnant belly in front of him and he turns to timid mush.
Men.
“I don’t know what that thing is,” he said, trying to explain his squeamishness. “When the baby’s born, that’s my baby.”
There’s a reason women are the ones who have the babies. Though I will admit that seeing my stomach move and poke out on its own did remind me of the movie Alien.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“As the months went on, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Chris was still somehow with us. Maybe it was the depression; maybe it was grief. Maybe something else.
Feeling down and empty, I chance to look across the room and think I catch a glimpse of him.
I go to a restaurant with the kids and sit at a table. A while later I look up and swear Angel is sitting on Chris’s lap.
I take a walk and from the corner of my eye see him in his camouflage jacket walking beside me.
He’s in a crowd, or standing across the parking lot, or lurking nearby in the shadows. ”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“May 5, 2006

I also hope you are being able to keep yourself a little bit happier. If you need to resent me to be able to make it through, I understand. I know you love me, and support me in whatever I do. I don’t have to hear it all the time, or call home to hear just good things. If you need to unload on me when I call, then do it. Whatever it takes to make you feel better.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“The business, the fame, and just the everyday things that a father and husband has to deal with--it must have been a heavy load. I think back about it now and I’m truly sorry that he had to bear all of that.
He didn’t complain. That wouldn’t have been Chris.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“A postscript on Ryan: Ryan did recover, but he was left permanently blind. His girlfriend Kelly stayed by his side through his recovery, and they soon married.
I’m happy to say that we all became good friends. Ryan had an indomitable spirit that infected everyone he met. He used to say that he suspected God had chosen him to be wounded, rather than someone else, because He knew he could bear it. If so, it was an excellent choice, for Ryan inspired many others to deal with their own handicaps as he dealt with his. He went hunting with the help of friends and special devices. His wound inspired the logo Chris would later use for his company; it was a way for Chris to continue honoring him.
Ryan and his wife were expecting their first child in 2009 when Ryan went into the hospital for what seemed like a routine operation, part of follow-up treatment for his wounds. Tragically, he ended up dying.
I remember looking at his wife at the funeral, so brave yet so devastated, and wondering to myself how we could live in such a cruel world.
My enduring vision of Ryan is outside one of the hospitals where he was recovering from an operation. He was in his wheelchair with some of the Team guys. Head bandaged and clearly in pain, he asked to be pointed toward the American flag that flew in the hospital yard; once there, he held his hand up in a long and poignant salute, still a patriot.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Little things assume immense importance when they are associated with death. You focus on things that seem irrational--except at the moment.
We had to choose a specific location and position for his grave. There was a beautiful spot on the hill that would have let him face the flag, but the arrangement would have meant placing his head below his feet.
I couldn’t do that.
I ended up choosing a spot at the bottom of a hill, on a piece of flat land near a stream.
Still, not everything was perfect. A politician was going to be buried nearby.
“Could you make sure there’s someone between Chris and the politician?” I asked. “He really wasn’t fond of them.”
You just want to keep taking care of the person you love.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Among the people who asked about them was Bradley Cooper, thanks to Jason, who’d championed Chris and the book. Cooper was already a huge star, one who had a reputation for taking big risks and trying a variety of roles (including one in the TV series Alias the connection I promised earlier).
None of that was important to Chris. If there was a movie, he wanted the actor who portrayed him to be a true American. He couldn’t stand actors who would make unpatriotic statements against the war and then turn around and do war films. He’d told Jim he didn’t want a hypocrite playing him. I think he would have chosen not to let a movie be done rather than agree to let people proceed with it whom he didn’t consider patriotic.
And so for Chris, the most impressive thing about Bradley Cooper was not his acting ability or the enormous research he put into his roles, but the work he’d done helping veterans. He was a supporter of Got Your 6, an organization that helps veterans reintegrate into family life and their communities. He had also done some USO tours. I couldn’t imagine a better match.
Still, Chris didn’t just say okay. He talked to Bradley before deciding to let him option the book and his life rights.
I remember Chris coming out of his home office after the final conversation. He was smiling; Bradley had a great sense of humor, which was probably the first thing they bonded over.
“How’d it go?” I asked.
“Went good. I told him, ‘My only concern with you, Bradley--I might have to tie you up with a rope and pull you behind my truck to knock some of the pretty off you.”
Bradley laughed. Still, he did just about everything short of that to prepare for the movie. He grew a beard, studied photos and videos, and worked out like a madman, getting himself into the proper shape to play a SEAL in the movie.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“The next morning, I went over to pick them up. I’d spent the night thinking of more things I should tell them--everything about Chris I thought they needed to know.
It was all too much.
“I don’t know how to tell you everything,” I confessed to Bradley as he got into the car. I started to cry. “There’s so many things and we have such a short amount of time.”
“Just being here is all we need,” he said. “I’m not an impersonator. I’m just here to feel Chris’s life--I feel him here with me right now.”
Bradley put me at ease and I calmed down. Back at the house, he and Clint became almost like family. Little bits of their personality came out as well--and I saw a glimmer of Clint’s famous Dirty Harry character later on in the day when I had to leave to go to Bubba’s basketball game.
They’d talked about coming with me--which frankly would have created an impossible circus. But I did give them the option. As they stood trying to make up their minds, I snapped into anxious mom mode.
“All right,” I told them both. “You’re welcome to come. But if you’re coming, we’re leaving now.”
I guess my tone was a little too strident.
“So you want to get tough with me, huh, lady?” said Clint in his best Dirty Harry voice as he raised his eyebrow.
It’s amazing how threatening a simple facial tic can be.
I left them home to study some of Chris’s replica guns and gear. Our own already had its ample share of lawmen.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Chris said in his book that the incident was nothing. From his point of view, he was right: there were no ill effects, and he never had a seizure again. He was cleared for the deployment, which was scheduled to begin in a few days.
But from my perspective, he shouldn’t have deployed at all. He should have let the doctors fully investigate the situation. Someone should have figured out why exactly he passed out-even if it was just that he didn’t like the sight of spooky long needles.
But you can’t tell a SEAL that. SEALs may not think they’re indestructible-most if not all are too smart for that-but they are all absolutely 100 percent convinced that they will let their brothers down if they are not in the fight, no matter what. And something like this was, not only to Chris but I’m sure to any SEAL, truly insignificant.
But anyway…”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Chris and I told the story of how we met in American Sniper.
Briefly, I was living in Long Beach at the time. A girlfriend wanted to go down to San Diego--nearly a two-hour drive--to check out some bars and relax. I almost didn’t go; it was a long drive and I was tired.
But I went. We ended up in a bar in Coronado, where I found myself drinking Scotch and offering sarcastic comebacks to an admittedly good-looking but obnoxious young man hitting on me.
The man’s friend came over and interrupted us, joking that I was abusing his friend.
Now this was a handsome man. A bit over six feet, solidly built, he had a warm smile and broad shoulders to go with a sweet Texas accent and an easygoing, aw-shucks manner that instantly melted my cynical heart.
His name was Chris Kyle.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“Before going on set in California, the producers had Chris fill out a form that, among other things, listed some of his special qualifications. His answer: Shooting, shit talking, and beer drinking.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“What bothered me wasn’t so much the girl’s obvious flirting, but the fact that Chris hadn’t cut it off. I mean, two-hundred-plus messages? Come on!
But my reaction may have been over the top.
“I don’t need this shit!” I yelled, storming into the bedroom where he was still asleep. I threw my coffee-lukewarm, fortunately-all over him.
“What? What?” he mumbled, not yet awake.
“Get the hell out!” I screamed.
There were a lot of expletives. As a Navy SEAL, Chris had surely heard worse-even from me-but he was completely caught off guard.
“I’m not hiding anything!” he protested when he realized from my tirade what I was mad about.
I continued to let him have it.
“The kids can hear you,” he said finally.
“Good!” I screamed.
On and on-it was a good rant, let me tell you. I completely and totally lost it. Chris got up and left, wisely seeing that as the smart thing to do.
I was still frothing. My dad came in, no doubt wondering why his daughter had turned into the Wicked Witch of the West. I showed him some of the messages.
“Look at this! Look at this!” I shouted, as if my father were Chris’s defense attorney. “What do you think of this? Why would he do this?”
“These are no big deal,” said my dad.
“It is a big deal. This how it starts.”
I was furious. If I hadn’t had the one experience with the old girlfriend, maybe I wouldn’t have gone so ballistic. In any event, I just saw red.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“I was nervous, though. I wasn't sure about it for several reasons. One question was the kids' privacy: Would people-the enemy Chris fought abroad-be out to take revenge against Chris by harming his children?
Chris assured me that wouldn't happen. My other objections were more personal. Frankly, I didn't think people would care about me. In fact, I was still undecided in mid-December 2010, when I drove out to the ranch where Jim and Chris were working.
“We think it’s a good idea,” Chris told me over the phone when I called on the way to say I was having second-or by that time, third or fourth-thoughts. “It will give people a better idea of what families go through.”
Still unsure, I went in and met the writer. Before I knew it, we were sitting in front of a fireplace and talking. It seemed incredibly natural, even when the topics became heavy.
We were all in. Before I knew it, Chris was needing a drink, and Jim was taking a lot of notes.
The book took the better part of a year to write, even though they were working every day for stretches.
Or at least they claimed to be working-I have a rather incriminating photo showing them playing Xbox. Maybe it was for research.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“the key to my happiness is appreciating what I have and what I’ve done, and realizing that I’ll always have something else to do.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith, and Renewal

“We wrote our own vows; I take them to heart even today:

I give you my heart, soul, and everlasting love.
I promise to be there during both laughter and tears and to protect you in the days to come.
I will be faithful and truthful, whether near or far, and will never give you cause for doubt.
I will embrace your happiness and hold you when you are sad.
I will be your biggest supporter and your constant friend.
I will remind you of who you are when you forget.
I will consider your happiness with every action.
I will celebrate your soul and work to enrich your life as you enrich mine.
Most of all, I will love you and show my love all the days of my life.

Instead of traditional wedding music, we chose Enya’s version of “How Can I Keep from Singing.” The words of the song talk of a hymn that can always be heard, no matter how dark the night or how difficult the day. The song speaks of faith and endurance, and through it all, music. It seemed to perfectly capture our love and commitment to each other. The words and tune-hypnotic and soaring-would come to me at various parts of my life. I gave birth to it. I hear it in my head today.”
― Taya Kyle, American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal