Tonya

“I find myself happiest in the middle of a book in which I forget that I am reading, but am instead immersed in a made-up life lived at the highest pitch.”
― Pat Conroy, My Reading Life

“O Divine Master, grant that
I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
Not so much to be understood as
To understand; not so much to be
Loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned”
― Saint Francis of Assisi

“The kingdom of God is, among other stated virtues, joy in the Holy Spirit. When you enjoy yourself, you are experiencing a Kingdom reality regardless of whether you know God or not. Being swept up in a Kingdom reality releases an eternal perspective of time. Time moves both swiftly and with a greater and richer quality that makes each moment feel deep and timeless. These moments pass quickly but are etched deeply in your memory so that you can relive each moment. To “enjoy” is to be fully “in” a past or present “joy.” You can live in the joy of the moment and enjoy (in-joy, re-live) a memory. In this sense, time both flies (moves quickly) and stretches (stands still).”
― Dan McCollam, Bending Time: Accessing Heavenly Realities For Abundant Living

“And though I hadn't worked out how I felt about the Christianity of my childhood, I did know how I felt about my mother. Her devotion,her faith,they moved me. I was protective of her right to find comfort in whatever way she saw fit. Didn't she deserve at least that much? We have to go through this life somehow”
― Yaa Gyasi, Transcendent Kingdom