Joseph Obomsawin, the elder I lived with there, says that those who turn to animals do so because humans have let them down.

Maybe if God gives you a handicap, he makes sure you've got a few extra doses of humor to take the edge off.

Until this moment, I had not realized that someone could break your heart twice, along the very same fault lines.

Have a conversation with your family about your end-of-life wishes while you are healthy. No one wants to have that discussion... but if you do, you'll be giving your loved ones a tremendous gift, since they won't have to guess what your wishes would have been, and it takes the onus of responsibility off of them.

I always hated when my scars started to fade, because as long as I could still see them, I knew why I was hurting.

The woman who opens the door has a blue stain on her shirt and dark hair wound into a messy knot and the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. They're pale, like a lioness's, nearly golden, but they also look like they've done their fair share of crying, and we all know that a sky with clouds in it is much more interesting than one that doesn't have any.

You can run but you can't hide... but I can try. I feel air catch in my lungs and I get a cramp in my side and this pain, this wonderful physical pain that I can place, reminds me that after all I am still alive.