You have trouble feeling alive, so you stab your own heart just to feel something. It was the emptiness that was killing you. You created the sadness and the fear to fill it.

There’s something amazing about this life. The very same worldly attribute that causes us pain is also what gives us relief: Nothing here lasts. What does that mean? It means that the breathtakingly beautiful rose in my vase will wither tomorrow. It means that my youth will neglect me. But it also means that the sadness I feel today will change tomorrow. My pain will die. My laughter won’t last forever but neither will my tears. We say this life isn’t perfect. And it isn’t. It isn’t perfectly good. But, it also isn’t perfectly bad, either.

There is meaning in all things. But are you paying attention?

Ya Allah, envelop our hearts with a shield of your light and mercy, so the pain doesn't penetrate.

If you think you're too far from Allah to return, and your 'past' continues to own you, just remember that Malik ibn Dinar (RA) was an alcoholic, and Omar (RA) was on his way to assassinate the Prophet (pbuh) before they became two of the greatest souls to walk the earth!

I think we seek out people who we hope will fix what our childhood broke.

Don't worry about what the people say. Sometimes they'll praise you. Sometimes they'll condemn you. All these things all fade away. And in the end, Allah takes care of everything. Perfectly.