This vs This...

So, there's this...

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou

"Don't make someone a priority in your life when you're only an option in theirs"

"You're going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it's always their actions you should judge them by. It's actions, not words, that matter." -Nicholas Sparks

But then, there's this...

"Scars remind us of where we've been; they don't have to dictate where we're going." -Criminal Minds

 "In the end, no matter how your plans turn out, no matter how others treat you, you get to choose what your life looks like." -To Write Love On Her Arms

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."-Mother Teresa

 "I chose to forgive. Putting this decision into action hasn’t been the simplest thing I’ve ever done. Sometimes when your heart is smashed into a million pieces, you have to dig pretty deep to collect all of them again, and along the way, anger and bitterness and resentment rear their ugly heads and try to convince you that it will be easier to just give in to them. And sometimes, that’s a pretty tempting idea. Those are the days when you have to take a deep breath and choose, again, the path to forgiveness. And if that’s not enough, those are the days when you find someone who will help you want forgiveness, and you sit with them and cry about how unfair it all is until you settle down and realize that what you’re doing feels terrible and the forgiveness thing is just a better idea anyway. And after enough days, and maybe months, of deciding again and again to forgive, it suddenly becomes easy. And you’re finally not angry any longer." -To Write Love On Her Arms

Friendship. Community. Love.

"You're the strangest person I ever met, she said, & I said you too, & we decided we'd know each other a long time" -Brian Andreas

  

"You may not remember the time you let me go first.

Or the time you dropped back to tell me it wasn't that far to go.

Or the time you waited at the crossroads for me to catch up.

You may not remember any of those, but I do and this is what I have to say to you:

Today, no matter what it takes,

We ride home together.”  

-Brian Andreas

"Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done."~Starhawk

"No one with good friends is ever a failue."

"I can't promise to solve all your problems, but I can promise you won't have to face them alone."

"In this world full of pain & sorrow, maybe once in a lifetime, you'll find people who will make you feel wonderful. Hang on to those people no matter what."

“I hope you come to find that which gives life a deep meaning for you. Something worth living for, maybe even worth dying for. Something that energizes you, enthuses you, enables you to keep moving ahead. I can't tell you what it might be, that's for you to find, to choose, to love. I can just encourage you to start looking & support you in the search."

My Past Self Is So Smart...

 Rarely is this blog about my personal thoughts. But sometimes, I make exceptions. Today is one of those times. Snippet of my past self, telling me(and you) super important thought provoking things. Listen to her, she's a smart lady :)

"Growing up in this world sucks and unfortunately there's no nice way of putting that. But I guess maybe we need to slow down a little and stop running, I hear it takes a lot of energy out of you. Who knows, maybe if you stop running you'll find out who you are, who your friends are and what the people in your life truly mean to you ." [June, 2007]

"There comes a moment, even if just a brief moment, when you find some inner strength and it is amazing. Where you get your strength from doesn't matter, as long as it comes along and pours cold water over your head." [December, 2007].

"It is cool to think about the roles that we have in the communities we are a part of. Sometimes I forget that I'm not alone because there are so many other people out there who are part of the community, who have a role and who fill it well. It is also really cool to think of the different, smaller communities that we are apart of and the different roles we play in each of them. God is pretty great like that, giving us different talents for the communities that we are apart of and for community in general. I don't know if this will be profound. Or even if it is suppose to be profound. I just know that community is awesome and that even in the darkest places community comes along and pulls you out. I'm glad I know that I need people. Because with people we have community and with community there is love and love is the best thing ever." [January, 2009]

"It is interesting, he said, to look back on the life you've lived. Why's that, she asked. He smiled and simply said, because if all this good has come already there is hope that something better is on its way." [February, 2012]