Ellen Tomlins

“When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.

The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.”
― Ram Dass

“It's getting colder. I love the cold. Somehow it feels more right for Christmas. The hero emerges at the most desolate point, when the possibility of hope seems so remote--both in and from the darkest moment.”
― Rhys Halaby

“To believe means to be so rooted in Christ that he becomes the foundation of one’s own existence, the beginning and end of the movement known as life, its measure, and its source of strength. The extent to which we succeed depends on our loyalty and our power of sacrifice”
― Romano Guardini, The Lord

“I want you to promise me something. If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you're scared that it's not the right thing. Even if you're scared that it will cause problems. Even if you're scared it will burn your life to the ground. You say it, and you say it loud. And then you go from there....”
― Mark Sloan