Mothers observe all, absorb all, give all, forgive all, offer all, suffer all, feel all, heal all, hope for all, pray for all.But most of all,Mothers love always.

Answer me, you good-for-nuthin’ wench!” The pain bit instantly as his hand connected with my cheek. I shook my head in answer to his crazy questions, feeling a rise of warm tears.

I love the magic of a hot bath; how time pauses and every grievance melts away.

Some books mirror reality while others are entirely fantasy. My favorite are those that manage to weave a world with both.

No one is without troubles, without personal hardships and genuine challenges. That fact may not be obvious because most people don’t advertise their woes and heartaches. But nobody, not even the purest heart, escapes life...

Determined, I riseand face the dawn with resolve.This time I will win.

Discouragement, fear, and depression—three villains who lurk in the dark.They slip inside souls with a blindfold and goals to shatter your dreams and extinguish your spark.Their tactics are highly effective.They crush a great many each...

I read so I might live a thousand lives in a lifetime. I write to control the particulars in those lives.

My Floating Sea””Pastel colors reflect in my opening eyes and draw my gaze to a horizon where the waters both begin and end. This early in the day I can easily stare without blinking. The...

Family gathersto share good noise and good food.Gratitude abounds.

Las palabras nunca desaparecen, sino que hacen eco para la eternidad. Deja que tu eco suene dulce.

A real treasure becomes such only after it’s been desperately sought after.

Life is a test. It was designed to be so. It is where we taste the bitter and the sweet; where we feel pain and pleasure; where we learn right from wrong; where we pass...

WRITER’S NIGHTMARE””I felt a grip on my arm that shook my body, forcefully pulling me toward a tunnel of darkness. The threat of consciousness stole my steady breath. For a moment I believed myself to...

Don’t give up.I know you’ve made a thousand attempts to reach your goal, but look at it this way: after repeatedly banging your head against the wall, you ought to be numb enough break through...

Evil exists in this world because it has its place. For had you never sat blindly through the darkness of night, your eyes wouldn’t turn toward the sunrise to appreciate its warmth and illumination.

If we were always given a choice as to every path presented us in life, a multitude of roads leading to priceless treasures would forever go untraveled.Be grateful for your adversities. From toil and triumph...

When I say I love the silence, I’m not being entirely truthful. What I actually love are the abundant, delicate sounds that amplify when I’m silent. These curious creaks, mutters, and hums compel my imagination.

A great many problems could be solved by nothing more than a change in thinking.

‘I’m sorry’ won’t fix what’s been broken. It can’t reverse time or undo the damage or change anything that happened. But a sincere, humble apology can serve to soften the sting and sometimes do a...

Five truly effective prescriptions to remedy a bad day. (You can’t overdose.)—Pray; discuss your troubles with God.—List your blessings. (The blue sky, soft cookies, warm socks, etc.)—Call your mom.—Visit an animal shelter and hug a...

You stare at your dream from a distance, longing, sighing, seeing what you deem is a warning of IMPOSSIBLE. But if you’d squint real hard you’d see the truth; the sign correctly reads, ‘I’M POSSIBLE.

There are no rest stops on the road of life. Otherwise they’d be congested with traffic.

Enemies may unite to eliminate a common threat, but never without a wary eye fixed on their ally.

A person’s needs are met, and his appetite subsides. A person’s wants are met, and his thirst swells greedily without end.

The key to valuing something is to lose it and then realize how rare it was—after which you pray like mad to regain what you foolishly lost. The value of an item often depends upon...

Sunlight’s warmth on my face awoke me in the morning. I didn’t remember falling asleep or how I came to be in my own bed. But I did recall nightmares. Awful nightmares featuring Gwen.I turned...

Time and again the sun sets like a bedimming curtain before my eyes, taking with it all illumination, warmth, and color. I am overwhelmed by night and the monsters that lurk in shadows of despair....

A new star, the Christ child, God’s gift to mankind; these are what Christmas is made of.

Happiness must be a jealous pet. When you try seeking yours out, it tends to keep hidden. But as soon as you turn to help a friend find his, your own happiness comes bounding out...

The things that inspire your life should consume your life.

Sometimes while gazing at the night’s sky, I imagine stars looking down making wishes on the brightest of us.

Every person sees the world through lenses of his or her own design—individual goggles that alter focus and perspective as desired. For those who wish the world to be dark and ugly and unapproachable, it...

Don’t ever quit pretending.

Our greatest duty to our children is to love them first. Secondly, it is to teach them. Not to frighten, force, or intimidate our children into submission, but to effectively teach them so that they...

Two powerful, little words I’ve learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts—so what?

Even among familiar faces, people often feel invisible and desolate, like an island in cold waters or a shadow apart from the crowd. Be the reason another never feels alone.

We never think lightly of those who walk with us on our uphill days.

The power behind living a dream lies in either believing it’s a dream or knowing it’s not.

Knowing the path through the forest doesn’t make the trip any less daunting. Knowing the steps to your dreams doesn’t make the climb any less of a challenge.

The greatest gift you can give is your time. Not money, not items, not food, not pretty cards with handwritten sentiment, but time. People need your presence. The way you can help a soul the...

If you’ve put a smile on someone’s face today, you’ve done more good than you know.

The road of life is paved with daily successes, a great number of them penny and nickle triumphs. Sadly, these little feats are often seen as worthless―even failures―because we dream of greater gain. Our greed...

I have lost my spark, I’m told, and should seek to rekindle it. Respecting the messenger, I wonder if this is true. I feel as if my spark endures, but having opened up to the...

A daydreamer is a writer just waiting for pen and paper.

How does knowing ‘things could be worse’ than what I already deem is awful make me feel any better? You mean I could sink even lower? Oh joy!

Compliments land assoft and gentle on my earsas a butterfly.

It’s okay to be absurd, ridiculous, and downright irrational at times; silliness is sweet syrup that helps us swallow the bitter pills of life.

I’m a sucker for curiosity’s whims.Does that make me a cat person?

If the world appears abundant in smiles or overwhelmed by scowls, you might ask yourself if you’re not to blame.