There's a gap somehow between empathy and activism. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of 'soul force' - something that emanates from a deep truth inside of us and empowers us to act. Once you identify your inner genius, you will be able to take action, whether it's writing a check or digging a well.

How often do we do that, he wondered--look at someone and fail to see what's really there?

It shocks me how I wish for...what is lost and cannot come back.

I have noticed that if you look carefully at people's eyes the first five seconds they look at you, the truth of their feelings will shine through for just an instant before it flickers away.

We walked along the river with the words streaming behind us like ribbons in the night.

A lot of time you write out of some unconscious place. I try to trust what is coming and where it wants to take me.

To fashion an inner story of our pain carries us into the heart of it, which is where rebirth inevitably occurs.