But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.

I think that if you can roast a chicken, you can get whatever you want out of a woman.

You can butcher the sheep only once. But if you are careful, you can shear the sheep every year.

And then, in that regal silence, finally - I began to meditate on (and with) God.

I remember asking myself one night, while I was curled up in the same old corner of my same old couch in tears yet again over the same old repetition of sorrowful thoughts, 'Is there ANYTHING about this scene you can change, Liz?' And all I could think to do was stand up, whle still sobbing, and try to balance on one foot in the middle of the living room. Just to prove that - while I couldn't stop the tears or change my dismal interior dialogue - I was not yet totally out of control: at least I could cry hysterically while balanced on one foot.

Addiction is the hallmark of every infatuation-based love story.

I have a lot of trouble forgiving myself for being so dumb... But yes, of course, the big generous compassionate view that you should take of yourself and of all events is: what a glorious circus train this has been, and what a wonderful messy parade, and all of those steps took me here, where I precisely need to be now, so God bless it.