Toni

“God's job ain't to make our lives easier, it's to make us better souls by the lessons He gives us.”
― Susan Crandall, Whistling Past the Graveyard

“To remain silent in the face of evil is itself a form of evil.”
― Sue Monk Kidd, The Invention of Wings

“The truth is that no one can keep you captive. No one can keep you unhappy. No one can keep you abused. Our lives rise to the level we accept. I do believe we can rise from the screaming blood of our losses, of extreme pain, physically debilitating emotion, psychological neglect, and apathy, and not merely survive, but thrive. We do not need to let our histories or our losses define us except in the way we choose. We can use them as fuel to create real depth, beauty, connectedness, and compassion in our lives. Our stories can make us exceptional people, not damaged ones. If we choose to be truthful with ourselves. And if we choose to digest and release the pain rather than try to avoid it. This is how pain accumulates and creates more pain, leading to neurosis, pathology, and brittleness of spirit.”
― Jewel, Never Broken Deluxe: Songs Are Only Half the Story

“History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart and we repeat history until we are able to make another’s pain in the heart our own.”
― Julius Lester