“Always count your blessings, even if you have to count them through your tears”

“Walk gently, and be brave.”

“The only thing on Earth you can count on is that there is nothing on Earth you can count on.”

“Youve climbed too many mountains and crossed too many rivers to stop and turn back now.”

“Your ancestors are rooting for you.”

“There were moments when it hurt so bad you couldnt breathe, yet somehow you survived the pain. There were days when you could barely put one foot in front of the other, yet somehow you arrived at y...”

“I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be okay with being different, and with being this alive, this intense. (xxvi)”

“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.”

“Birthdays could be such a bummer when you were older than the country you lived in.”

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

“All Earthquakes and Disasters are warnings theres too much corruption in the world ”

“Its only when youre at the bottom of the ladder that you ascend.”

“Life is all about practicing for heaven." p 101.”

“The vaunted experience of age was perhaps only a matter of wounds and scarring -- that young minds to old minds might be as young bodies to old bodies: stronger, more vital, less twisted by damage.”

“And because Eddie knew that was only the truth, he said nothing.”