“I remember thinking, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be. It is supposed to be easy, fun, light, bright, full. But I was feeling dread, heavy, scared, unsure. It was the first time I really felt let down by life. I was young and had some idealistic thoughts of what life was going to look like. Or at least what it should look like. I couldn’t imagine what could possibly come next, what with this bursting of the bubble that I thought was life?”

“…This was my son’s favorite song. It gave us an opportunity to talk about the meaning of a blessing and that led us to talk about the importance of wishing blessings for others whether they were friend or foe.”

“For the umpteenth day in a row I woke up and thought about the truth and what I needed to do about it…”

"As I studied the now-wilted flower, I realized I could see myself in it. What was once open and beautiful had become closed and withdrawn."