The word that came to me now was "defiant." Because a person had to be defiant to be able to stand amid the wreckage of her life and instead of shaking a fist, pick up a hammer.

You have to get through the rain if you're ever going to see a rainbow.

I know what it is to hope and pray so hard that you're sure God will answer your prayer just so you'll stop asking.

Adversity in life does not rob your heart of beauty. It simply teaches it a new song to sing.

Great tragedy gives us opportunities for great kindness.

Strong winds buffet the sea oats and tall dune grasses, tossing sand and seabirds where it will, winding my sister's golden hair into sunlit spirals of silk until it becomes the only good memory I have of her -- the only memory I allowed myself to keep.

Moving on doesn't mean forgetting.