“My prayer is an attitude of pure gratitude for having the opportunity to experience life on this earth with all its pain, heartache, worry, and turmoil; coupled with this gratitude is the thankfuln...”

“Making amends is not only saying the words but also being willing to listen to how your behavior caused anothers pain, and then the really hard partchanging behavior.”

“Shame is a powerful feeling. There is a tremendous difference between making a mistake and believing you are a mistake...If I dont see myself as being a mistake then it is I who must take responsib...”

“Others hide from being real by filling the air with words; the more words they throw out, the less actual communication happens and they are left with only an illusion of connection. This is the in...”

“Mature adults gravitate toward new values and understandings, not just rehashing and blind acceptance of past patterns and previous learning. This is an ongoing process and maturity demands lifelon...”

“The more severe the dysfunction you experienced growing up, the more difficult boundaries are for you.”

“REAL people do not have to lie, exaggerate, or brag for they are self-contained in self-understanding and acceptance of themselves. REAL people can make a mistake knowing that even when they do, it...”

“When someone obtains peace and serenity, this shines a bright spotlight on others own unhappiness making their discomfort even more apparent.”

“No matter how I want things to stay the same, no matter how discomforting change can be, I am stuck with the certainty that all molecules vibrate; all things are in constant motion; and change will...”

“We are in the era of dysfunctional relationships.”

“No mean person is mean all the time. The whole point of being mean is to fluctuate so that you can hold out the hope for someone. So someone will hold out the hope that they're gonna catch you on t...”

“A woman in Charlotte approached me and said that shes tired of the dysfunction in my novels. I told her I was sorry, but that is how the world has presented itself to me throughout my life.”

“There are orphanages," he exclaimed to himself, "for children who have lost their parents--oh! why, why, why, are there no harbours of refuge for grown men who have not yet lost them?”

“Its the great surprise of my life that I ended up loving [my father] so much.”

“It pleased Aliena that they were all together: she and Jack and their children, and Jack's mother, and Aliena's brother, and Martha. It was quite like an ordinary family, and Aliena could almost fo...”