Nicole

“I have my story. The twins will have theirs.

Stories, it seems to me, are living things. Once you set them free, they're like offspring. They have destinies of their own.

They're no longer your responsibility.

They belong to the world.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Family

“Once again, I'm reminded that it's possible to be happy and sad, worried and hopeful, confused and certain, all at the same time.

Especially when you love someone dearly.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Family

“My grandmother called it bearing witness. She'd sit on the porch with her sister and talk the night away. Sometimes gossiping, sometimes praying. I'd hear them confide in each other, telling each other things I knew I wasn't supposed to know anything about." Maxine hits the button on her keychain to unlock her door. We get in. "I didn't get it as a kid. I mean, nothing got resolved, necessarily, so I though it was silly to just sit and rehash everything that was wrong with the world," Maxine says.
"Yeah, that's kind of depressing," I say.
"But I think what my grandmother was saying is that it feels good to know someone knows your story, that someone took you in," Maxine says. "She'd tell me, it's how we heal.”
― Renée Watson, Piecing Me Together

“This stifling atmosphere will ultimately harm the most vital causes of our time. The restriction of debate, whether by a repressive government or an intolerant society, invariably hurts those who lack power and makes everyone less capable of democratic participation. The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish it away.”
― Keith Simon, Truth Over Tribe: Pledging Allegiance to the Lamb, Not the Donkey or the Elephant