My life has been one great big joke, a dance that's walked a song that's spoke, I laugh so hard I almost choke when I think about myself.

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.

I write because I am a Black woman, listening attentively to her people.

You can't forgive without loving. And I don't mean sentimentality. I don't mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, 'I forgive. I'm finished with it.'

At our best, we're all teachers

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.

Naturally, if you love somebody, you do want to see their face every now and again, but that's not a condition of your love. People often get possession mixed up with love, and they say, "If you really loved me, you would call me." How - when life is going on? I think of you all the time, and the thought of you always lifts my spirits. But I'm not right at the phone!