When life puts you through a tumbler, it's your choice whether you come out polished or crushed.

Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.

Dying is nothing to fear. It can be the most wonderful experience of your life. It all depends on how you've lived.

Everything in this life has a purpose, there are no mistakes, no coincidences.

Think of a lifeless forest in which a small plant pushes its head upward, out of the ruin. In our grief process, we are moving into life from death, without denying the devastation that came before.

Learning lessons is a little like reaching maturity. You're not suddenly more happy, wealthy, or powerful, but you understand the world around you better, and you're at peace with yourself. Learning life's lessons is not about making your life perfect, but about seeing life as it was meant to be.

The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not "get over" the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.