“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

—	Paulo Coelho

“You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.”

—	Jonathan Safran Foer

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]”
²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Encouragement :

"Had a nice visit from a good friend whose warm, effervescent smile never fails to remind me that there is indeed good in the world. Thanks Natalie. ♥"

- Ronnie

“Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, and don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.”

—	Kurt Vonnegut

“And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too —even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling,”

—	Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

“These two beings, pure as spirits, told each other everything, their dreams, their frenzies, their ecstasies, their chimeras, their despondencies, how they had adored each other from afar, how they had longed for each other, their despair when they had ceased to see each other. They had confided to each other in an intimacy of the ideal, which already, nothing could have increased, all that was most hidden and most mysterious in themselves. They told each other, with a candid faith in their illusions, all that love, youth and the remnant of childhood that was theirs, brought to mind. These two hearts poured themselves out to each other, so that at the end of an hour, it was the young man who had the young girl’s soul and the young girl who had the soul of the young man. They interpenetrated, they enchanted, they dazzled each other.”

—Victor Hugo, Les Misérables 

45 LIFE LESSONS, WRITTEN BY A 90 YEAR OLD

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short not to enjoy it.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for things that matter.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye… But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful.  Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to be happy.  But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose Life.

28. Forgive but don’t forget.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give Time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you think you need.

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

“The secret of it all, is to write in the gush, the throb, the flood, of the moment—to put things down without deliberation—without worrying about their style—without waiting for a fit time or place. I always worked that way. I took the first scrap of paper, the first doorstep, the first desk, and wrote—wrote, wrote. By writing at the instant the very heartbeat of life is caught.”

—Walt Whitman

"All the skills I acquired as a violent boy have made me a helpless man."

- Anonymous

The Science of Sleep :

"Things will turn out the way you want, if you could just stop doubting that I love you."

"But maybe she has a pattern; she doesn't want to get hurt, and by that she is hurting people, and by hurting people, she thinks she's not going to get hurt, but she gets hurts - I don't know."

“We were together. I forget the rest.”

- Walt Whitman

"The greatest spiritual crisis comes when a person has to move a little farther on in his faith than the beliefs he has already accepted."

- Oswald Chambers

"To be in love involves the most irresistible conviction that one will go on being in love until one dies, and that possession of the beloved will confer, not merely frequent ecstasies, but settled, fruitful, deep-rooted, lifelong happiness."

- C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock

“You,” he said, “are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain.”

—	Emilie Autumn

"Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.”

- Mother Teresa 

It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.


- Thomas Hardy

I know women are taught by other women that they must never admit the full truth to a man. But the highest form of affection is based on full sincerity on both sides. Not being men, these women don't know that in looking back on those he has had tender relations with, a man's heart returns closest to her who was the soul of truth in her conduct.

- Thomas Hardy

"Be gentle. – When you least expect it, something great will come along – something better than you ever planned for.  Mother Nature opens millions of flowers every day without forcing the buds.  Let this be a reminder not to force anything, but to simply give beautiful things enough love and an opportunity to grow naturally."

• • Love has nothing to do with looks, but everything to do with time, trust, and interest.
  • Uncertainty is caused by a lack of knowledge.  Hesitation is the product of fear.
  • Most of the time what you are looking for is right in front of you.
  • Your health is your life.
  • Chance is a gift, so act on chance when given the opportunity.
  • Kindness and hard work will take you further than intelligence.
  • People deserve a second chance, but not a third.
  • Marry your best friend.
  • Take lots of pictures.  Someday you’ll be really glad you did.
  • Your actions now create memories you will reminisce and talk about in your elder years.
  • Stepping outside of your comfort zone will put things into perspective from an angle you can’t grasp now.
  • If you never act, you will never know for sure.
  aqui:

• Love means giving someone the chance to hurt you, but trusting them not to.
• Love is not about sex, going on fancy dates, or showing off.  It’s about being with a person who makes you happy in a way nobody else can.
• You know you’ve found true love when you catch yourself falling in love with the same person over and over again.
• The one who is meant for you encourages you to be your best, but still loves and accepts you at your worst.
• Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.
• Good relationships don’t just happen; they take time, patience and two people who truly want to work to be together.
• Falling in love is not a choice.  To stay in love is.
• A great relationship is about two things: First, appreciating the similarities, and second, respecting the differences
• You don’t really need someone to complete you.  You only need someone to accept you completely.
• Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness.  Let it go.
• If you love someone, tell them.  Forget about the rules or the fear of looking ridiculous.  What is really ridiculous is passing up on an opportunity to tell someone that your heart is invested in them.
• The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
• The first to apologize is the bravest.  The first to forgive is the strongest.  The first to move forward is the happiest.
• Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
• In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation.  Don’t bring up the past.
• True love isn’t about being inseparable; it’s about two people being true to each other even when they are separated.
• True friendship and true love do sustain the tests of distance and time.
• Good relationships are not just about the good times you share; they’re also about the obstacles you go through together, and the fact that you still say “I love you” in the end.

love:

“Pain nourishes courage. You can’t be brave if you only have wonderful things happen to you.”

—	Mary Tyler Moore

I just had the realization that attending APU is cheaper than attending any other school I'm considering.

God :

Make Yourself apparent in me and to me, please. In what I hear, say, do, think. Everything, please just make Yourself known to me, make Your plan shine brighter than any other.

I realized only a few moments ago that the kinds of films, books, art, and music that I love most have everything to do with a response or reaction to the horrible injustices within the world.

Though I know we can never stop injustice, we can love. I wish to do even that much.