Michelle Ruder

“Because real life isn’t a fairy tale, darling, and making a relationship last is hard. Love involves a lot of forgiveness. People aren’t perfect. Falling in love is easy, but staying in love is a choice. You have to decide if the ups and downs are worth sticking out because there will be plenty of them. There will be pain.”
― J.T. Geissinger, Ache for You

“Grief is love’s souvenir. It’s our proof that we once loved. Grief is the receipt we wave in the air that says to the world: Look! Love was once mine. I loved well. Here is my proof that I paid the price.”
― Glennon Doyle Melton, Love Warrior

“I’m crazy about the bear, and I don’t like it when he doesn’t want to be around me, so I have to chase after him with a stick and poke him until he pays attention to me again.”
― J.T. Geissinger, Ache for You

“we don't love people and animals because we will have them forever; we love them because loving them changes us, makes us better, healthier, kinder, realer. Loving people and animals makes us stronger in the right ways and weaker in the right ways. Even if animals and people leave, even if they die, they leave us better. So we keep loving, even though we might lose, because loving teaches us and changes us. And that's what we're here to do. God sends us here to learn how to be better lovers, and to learn how to be loved, so we'll be prepared for heaven.”
― Glennon Doyle Melton, Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed