part of me

 part of me.

i absorb it all. all. all. all. of. it.

it's just who i have always been.

i cannot say that it has ever

been easy. and to be honest,

i have wished it away many times.

to amputate the very thing in me

that makes compassion out of

every human emotion. the feeler

in me says that i was meant to

turn your tears into my own

wild-flowing streams. but the 

thinker in me knows that love

takes a toll that empathy can be

enormously exhausting. and that 

putting myself in everybody else's

shoes is both a blessing and a 

curse. but yet i, with all of my

might, cannot undo it. it is as

much of who i am as the skin that

wraps around my bones and the

blood that courses through these

veins. and after everything this

body has been given, yes even the

hard and tiresome things, who am

i to uninvite this oh so precious

part of me.

~ullie-kaye

2024 resolution

My 2024 resolution is to stop wondering if I'm good enough for other people and start wondering if they're good enough for me.

Alone

 MAYA ANGELOU

ALONE

"Lying, thinking

Last night

How to find my soul a home

Where water is not thirsty

And bread loaf is not stone

I came up with one thing

And I don't believe I'm wrong

That nobody,

But nobody

Can make it out here alone."

A table

 God has removed you from 

a table where you used to sit...

In order to save you from a host

who was serving you poison.

Distance

 The answer to disrespected boundaries

is not a fight.

It's distance.

~Kalen Dior

Be done

 Learn to be done. Not

mad, not bothered, just

done. Protect your 

peace at all costs.

Why you deserve

 You shouldn't have to explain why you

deserve to be spoken to with respect

and treated with human decency. Do

 not allow anyone, even if it's someone

you love, to talk down to you, hurt

you, or strip you of who you are in

order to gain power over you. That

isn't love. And it sure as hell isn't how

you should ever be treated.

~Kayil York

How long

 From Flying Free Now

Many people wonder how long it might take for an abuser to change. Experts in the field emphasize that it takes significant, repeated efforts over an extended period of time, with cycles of successes and setbacks (that are strongly confronted) to change, and sadly, the majority of abusers do not.

~Elizabeth Beyer

Narrative

When you don't allow people to walk all over you anymore, the narrative will change. You'll become the villain in their story because you won't be giving them what they have had no problem taking from you. But at least in your story, you'll be free.

~Kayil York

Precious

Love yourself enough to set

boundaries. Your time and

energy are precious. You get

to choose how you use it.

~Anna Taylor 

Mood

 maturity is knowing that when

your mood is down you should not

trust the way you see yourself

~yung pueblo

Seed

 Think of yourself as a

seed patiently wintering in

the earth; waiting to come up

a flower in the Gardener's 

good time, up into the real

world, the real waking.

~C.S. Lewis

All the mistakes

 I came across a quote that said:

"If you went back and fixed all the

mistakes you've ever made, you would

erase yourself" and that's all I've ever

needed to hear.

~@shetalkzzz

Same person

When it stops hurting

and your heart goes back

to its beautiful self again,

don't you dare offer the healing

to the same person who broke you.

~Stephanie Bennett-Henry

Worse source

 No one is a worse source of information

about a woman than a man who is bullying

her. Out of a hundred people, your partner

is the one whom you should least believe

about who you are and what you are

becoming. He may sound

incredibly certain when he speaks, but he

doesn't know what he's talking about.

~Lundy Bancroft, Flying Free

Moods

 Allow people to

have their 

moods. And

allow those

moods to have

nothing to do 

with you

~Liana Naima

In your head

 Don't worry it's not as big and scary as it feels in your head.

Slide

 It amazes me that we believe this:

That God would crush and kill

His own Son, but let you slide.

~Voddie Baucham

Anchor

 In order to realize the worth

of the anchor we need to feel

the stress of the storm.

~Corrie Ten Boom

Big heart

You have a big heart for a reason, my darling.

You stand out from the rest of them because you

can endure far more than what you think you 

can. You are so strong and so brave, even when

your heart has been ripped apart and is beyond

recognition. Even when you have been left along

but the ones you needed most, you still got up to

face another day. You are the bravest of them 

all. A survivor who makes sure she's a thriver.

December 31st

 God can do a lot by December 31st

Actions

 When people's words and

actions are not in alignment,

believe their actions.

~Bob Hamp

Not because

 I don't mind

struggling WITH you,

but I will not

struggle

BECAUSE OF you.

~Carlos Dominguez

Better

 

God cancelled your plans to save

your life. He sent you the other 

direction to avoid danger. He fights

battles you know nothing about.

His plan is better than yours.

Turns

 He turns coal into diamonds.

Sand into pearls.

Worms into butterflies.

He can turn your life around, too.

~Toby Mac

Chances

Maybe it won't work out. Maybe 

it won't be what you wanted. Or

it may be just the adventure of a 

lifetime. Take some chances.

~J. Mike Fields

 

Happiest

 Happy is the man who

possesses a Bible!

Happier still is he who reads it!

Happiest of all is he

who reads it and obeys it!

~J.C. Ryle

Do it

 Post had this crossed out:

Don't cross oceans for people who

wouldn't cross a puddle for you.

No. Do it. Do cross oceans for

people. Love people, all people. No

conditions attached, no wondering

whether or not they're worthy. Cross

oceans, climb mountains. Life and love

isn't about what you gain. It's about

what you give.

You're allowed

 from Xylia Asteria, posted by Nona

You're allowed to talk about what they did to you

You're allowed to talk about what they did to you

You're allowed to talk about what they did to you

You're allowed to talk about what they did to you

You're allowed to talk about what they did to you

You're allowed to talk about what they did to you

If they didn't want you talking about it, maybe they shouldn't have done it.

Stardust

 From butterflies rising

soulmate stardust...

the universe puts

little bits of stardust in them;

memory dust...soul traces...so we can know.

ones that say things like...

i remember you. i've been looking for you.

i couldn't come here and not find you...

i had to find you. i am for you.

and when we're near them,

they don't have to say a thing;

we feel it in our senses...

we just know.

Serendipity

serendipity

one night a star exploded

and it split right in to two

and each part became a person

one was me and one was you

we shimmered down to Earth

and lived our individual lives

but one day serendipity

decided we'd collide

your face felt so familiar

and every time you spoke

it sounded like a harmony

a song I'd always known

it was like you were an ocean

that I wanted to explore

but the waves I surfed, the depths I swam

I felt I'd swum before

it was just like I knew nothing

and yet everything as well

as if me getting to know you

helped me get to know myself

I think the universe intended

and had planned it all along

to return me to your ocean

to your face and to your song

see, it's not that you completed me

for I was never half

but it seems like the stardust in our souls

could not be kept apart

~Becky Hemsley

Finitude

 Let each sunrise

be an invitation

to live more fully.

Let every sunset find in you

a grateful and reflective heart.

These days will not last forever.

They are precious

in their finitude.

~John Mark Green

Three things

You can tell a lot

about a person

by the way they handle

these three things:

a rainy day, lost luggage, and

tangled Christmas lights.

~Maya Angelou

No one crueler

To whom do I owe

the biggest apology?

No one's been crueler

than I've been

to me.

~Alanis Morissette

One letter

loving and losing:

different only by

one letter and 

a million degrees of pain.

~jessica katoff

Dissolve

 I feel like at this point,

if I unclench my jaw and

relax my shoulders I will

probably dissolve like

cotton candy in the rain.

~Sooz

A mess

What a mess

I have made

with nothing

but an idea

that I

am not enough.

~Chloe Frayne

Some other life

In some other life

We are standing

Side by side and

Laughing that,

In some other life

We are apart.

Ever wanted

All she

ever wanted

was unpredictable 

kisses

and 

unforgettable

laughter.

~Brandon Villasenor

A smile shined

Just yesterday you walked into my

life and shared a moment. And when

I look back on it all, I'll sit

back and remember that somewhere

between the first and last day, a 

smile shined and I fell in love.

~Jay Long

Shine

 They ask me

why I shine so bright:

This is what happens

when scars turn

to light.

~Nathalie

Alive a little

When I am gone, do not fear my memory.

Do not be afraid to speak my name or look through

old photographs.

Do not be scared to play old videos so that you might hear

my voice and see me laughing.

Do not be wary of visiting my favourite places or eating my

favourite foods or singing along to my favourite songs.

I know it will hurt. Those memories will remind you that I 

am gone.

They will stab at you like a knife in an open, gaping wound.

Raw, excruciating pain.

But after a while the knife will become less sharp, the

wound will become less open and the pain will become less

raw.

And those memories will remind you that I was here.

That I lived.

Do not reduce my life to my death.

Speak my name, hear my voice, sing my favourite songs

and visit my favourite places.

Because that's how I can stay alive a little.

Right here with you.

~Becky Hemsley Poetry

The same

When all you know 

is fight or flight,

red flags and butterflies

all feel the same.

~Cindy Cherie

Their life

 Don't look at the fruit of their gift, look

at the fruit of their life.

~Scott Ross Ligertwood

Abundance

Abundance

By Amy Schmidt

(in memory of Mary Oliver)

It's impossible to be lonely

when you're zesting an orange.

Scrape the soft rind once

and the whole room

fills with fruit.

Look around: you have

more than enough.

Always have.

You just didn't notice

until now.

The future

 FIND ME IN THE FUTURE

In the future

You will find me waiting

In a little cottage by the sea

My field of sunflowers

Will have reached their way up

To touch the turquoise sky

I will have left the kettle on for you

And a little candle in the window

And we will laugh about

How we thought for a moment

Everything was lost

When all you needed to do was

Find me

In the Future

~Aurora Raine, The Hero and the Healer

Never forget

 LAST WORDS

"Never forget me,"

you said,

as if the coast

could forget the ocean,

or the lung

could forget the breath,

or the Earth

could forget the sun.

~Beau Taplin

Too good

He made you feel

like you weren't good enough

to keep you from finding out

that you were too good for him.

~alex dullforce

Loud enough

I agree I can no longer let my

insecurities silence the good thing 

between us, but in trade-off, I need a

love that is loud enough to also bully

my insecurities into silence.

~Pierre Jeanty

Years

 there are years that

ask questions and 

years that answer

~zora neale hurston

Always

 You are always here, and always gone. That is grief.

Poor hand

 Life is not a

matter of holding

good cards, but

sometimes, playing 

a poor hand well.

~Jack London

No intentions

 From Hidden Gems

Falling in love with someone

you had no intention of falling for,

is the most beautiful kind of love.

No forcing chemistry,

or trying to save them.

Just a pure,

raw connection

created on its own.

Toxic

 From Philo Thoughts

Not all toxic people are cruel and uncaring. Some of them

love us dearly. Many of them have good intentions. Most

are toxic to our being simply because their needs and way

of existing in the world force us to compromise ourselves

and our happiness. They aren't inherently bad people, but

they aren't the right people for us. And as hard as it is, we

have to let them go. Life is hard enough without being

around people who bring you down, and as much as you

care, you can't destroy yourself for the sake of someone

else. You have to make your wellbeing a priority. Whether

that means breaking up with someone you care about,

loving a family member from a distance, letting go of a 

friend, or removing yourself from a situation that feels 

painful - you have every right to leave a create a safer

space for yourself.

~Daniell Koepke

she

she.

you won't fit her into a box.

she doesn't do well with the

confines and shapes and

expectations of the world.

she knows the rules but would

rather write her own. she is

rebellious but only in the

name of revolution. she thinks

too much. she dreams too much.

and she feels too much. she is

more wild than captured. more

crazy than sensible. and more

forgiveness than hurt. she

believes in loving. and living.

and getting things free.

she is me.

~ullie-kaye

Understatement

 Worth reposting....

You are the finest,

loveliest, tenderest,

and most beautiful

person I have ever known-

and even that

is an understatement.

~F. Scott Fitzgerald

Be clear

 A simple way to improve your life:

Be clear on who gets your time,

who gets your energy,

and who gets mothing.

~Cory Allen

Rock bottom

 Rock bottom has

built more champions

than privilege ever did.

The inside

 Sometimes, the

scars on the inside

take longer to heal

than the ones on the

outside.

Worth it

 Apply for that job. Date that person.

Buy that plane ticket. Move to that

city. Do all the things that scare you,

because they're worth it.

Actual apology

 The words "I'm sorry" are

a formal declaration of intent.

Changed behavior is the actual apology.

Two lives

We have two lives, and the 

second begins when we

realize we only have one.

~Confucius

Always beautiful

Maybe we didn't know 

each other like we

believed and maybe

we never did.

But I want you to know

that whatever my mind

made you into, it was 

always beautiful.

~JmStorm

Total capacity

 From I Was Never Broken, Vol. 2

MARCH 15, 2021

4:15 PM

You didn't know what it's like to love all of

me at total capacity. I hid a lot of who I was

to make you comfortable. I dimmed my

passions to let you have your moments. I let

go of people I loved to be in your presence.

I know now that's not what love is; that's

codependency. I loved you as much as I

could, to the depths I knew I could, to try

and keep you happy through all the spirals

of our moments together. I held the weight 

when it came to recovering every heartache

after every misunderstanding.

Let go

 I let go of people

I wanted to keep around forever.

To me,

that's become my biggest strength.

If you know me,

you know my heart's big

and my love is unconditional.

If I let you go,

it was for reasons

that don't need explanation,

other than it wasn't me,

It was you.

~From I Was Never Broken

They hear you

 Idk who needs to hear this right now,

but they hear you from heaven. They

hear everything you're telling them,

and they are so proud of you...and

they miss you so so much too.

Change the price

 You are allowed to change the 

price of what it costs to

access you.

Mood is down

 maturity is knowing that when

your mood is down you should not

trust the way you see yourself

~yung pueblo

When I'm gone

WHEN I'M GONE

When I come to the end of my journey

And I travel my last weary mile,

Just forget if you can, that I ever frowned

And remember only the smile.

Forget unkind words I have spoken;

Remember some good I have done,

Forget that I ever had a heartache

And remember I've had loads of fun.

Forget that I have stumbled and blundered

And sometimes fell by the way.

Remember I have fought

Some hard battles and won,

Ere the close of the day.

Then forget to grieve for my going,

I would not have you sad for a day,

But in summer just gather some flowers

And remember the place where I lay

And come in the evening

When the sun paints the sky in the west,

Stand for a few moments beside me

And remember only my best.

Profound unawareness

 From Many Phases And Faces Of a Mother's Grief

As I closed my eyes to sleep that night

I did not know I would wake in the morning

and you would not

As I closed my eyes to sleep that night

I did not know you would take your last breath

and your beautiful heart would stop beating

As I closed my eyes to sleep that night

I did not know that the truth of that

day had eluded me,

and I lived that day with a profound

unawareness of the irreversible life

shattering change that was about

to take place

As I closed my eyes to sleep that night

I did not know the sun had set on your last day

As I closed my eyes to sleep that night

I did not know

~Louise Rees

The next room

From Parents in Heaven

"I hope death is like

being carried to your bedroom

when you were a child

& fell asleep on the couch

during a family party.

I hope you can hear the laughter

from the next room."

~Lilies Abounded

Held

she needed to be held

in a way that was

rarely understood.

in the way that one

needs when they've 

been falling apart

for years.

~JmStorm

Parent wisdom

Wisdom is pulling up to every one of your kids events in a 

$10,000 vehicle, instead of making 3 events a year in your

$80,000 vehicle.

Wisdom is being home every night with your family in your

single wide mobile home, instead of being home with your

family 2 nights a week in your mansion.

What I've come to realize is this: "It's not about what I can

afford, it's about what I can't afford to miss because you

never know when your life will end."

~Author unknown

Little girl

There's a little girl

within me who still

thinks that if she's

quiet enough, that if

she behaves enough,

that if today, she's just

enough to be good

enough, that someone

will come back for her.

But the woman I've

grown into knows now,

no is going back

for her, except me.

~Tanya Markul

(Side note: And God)

Illusion

let go

of the illusion

that it

could have been

any different.

Until

I will love you

as long as the sun

burns in the sky,

as long as the moon

shines its light

into the dark night.

Until the raging 

blue oceans

become calm 

and run dry,

I will love you until 

the end of time.

~Christy Ann Martine

True bliss

True bliss

is falling asleep

beside the one

you dreamed of.

~Mark Anthony Poet

Loudest way

Making someone feel

seen, heard and understood

is the loudest way

to love them.

~wild faith

Good woman

 Do you know how badly you have to hurt a good

woman for her to still love you, but just not care

anymore? How much pain she had to endure, to

finally flip that switch, and just stop feeling?

How many tears and sleepless nights it took,

before she finally gave up?

Yeah...I didn't think so.

~Christie L. Starkweather

She chose

 SHE CHOSE

She realized she had this one.

This big, bold

and beautiful life.

And she realized

she didn't want to live it

chasing and crying

and apologizing.

Starving and fearing

and regretting.

She realized

she wanted to live it

proudly and freely

and creatively.

Lovingly and fully

and sweetly.

She realized

she could choose.

And so, she chose.

Is beautiful

She was beautiful

but not like

those girls in magazines.

She was beautiful

for the sparkle in her eyes

when she talked about

something she loved.

She was beautiful

for her ability 

to make other people smile,

even if she was sad.

No, she wasn't beautiful

for something as

temporary as her looks.

She was beautiful,

deep down to her soul.

She is beautiful.

~F. Scott Fitzgerald

The lasts

I will never be

the first

of so many things

for you. I came too late,

after life and love

were woven into the

tapestry

of your existence. I care not

about lost firsts,

but I will fight, knuckles

bloody and teeth sharpened,

for your lasts.

Take the old firsts

and put them to rest,

silent below the dirt

and ash of all the new ones

we will burn through.

Take them, but

give me the 

lasts.

~Tyler Knott Gregson

Fairytales

the love

we were promised

in fairytales

was never something

for us to find

it has always

been something

for us to create.

~tyler kent white 

Still stay

 

Some love stories never start,

but they still stay a love story.

~Rahul Kaushik

No heartbeat

 
"There is no heartbeat"...

and in that moment the

earth stops spinning and the

air feels hard to breathe.

~Zoe Clark-Coates

Stars on fire

 I hope you're up there in the heavens.

Giving the darkness a run for its money.

I hope you're setting stars on fire.

No type

 You can absolutely fall in love

with a person who is not your type.

There is no type in love.

There is only love. And it's magic.

~Rahul Kaushik

All of me

she wanted the bones

in my body, she wanted

my soul and my mind.

and i gave it to her,

all of me, all at once.

i didn't care. she 

deserved it. she deserved 

more.

sometimes a strong woman

just needs to be loved.

~r.m. drake

Choose you

I choose you.

love me wild-eyed or weary.

full of ocean and full of

dry land. half broken, and

half mending. quiet and

mysterious or spilling over

and telling you absolutely

everything. love me meek

and love me mighty. because sometimes

I am a boat, rocked to my core

by the storm. an avalanche.

a hurricane. and in advance,

i'm sorry. love me free and love

me bound to my downfalls but

trying. when light glistens

off my skin and when i stumble

into darkness. love me holy.

and sinful. and bleeding.

and healed. love me sweetly.

i have bruised your spirit.

in all of my life, i have found

no greater thing than to be

chosen. and so, with that,

i choose you, too.

~ullie-kaye 

No motivation

 When there is no

consequence for poor

work ethic, and no reward

for good work ethic, there 

is no motivation.

Belonging

 It's never about

 belonging to 

someone,

it's about 

belonging

together.

~Renee Ahdieh

Giving tree

 Posted by Ravenous Butterflies

"...And after a long time the boy came back again.

"I am sorry, Boy," said the tree, "but I have nothing left to 

give you-

My apples are gone."

"My teeth are took weak for apples," said the boy.

"My branches are gone," said the tree.

"I am too old to swing on branches," said the boy.

"My trunk is gone," said the tree.

"You cannot climb-"

"I am too tired to climb," said the boy.

"I am sorry," said the tree.

"I wish that I could give you something...but I have nothing

left. I am an old stump. I am sorry..."

"I don't need very much now," said the boy, "just a quiet

place to sit and rest. I am very tired."

"Well," said the tree, straightening himself up as much as

she could,

"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come,

Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."

And the boy did.

And the tree was happy."

~Shel Silverstein - The Giving Tree, 1964

Parallel

Parallel

I often think about

How different life would be

If we met at the right time.

If we collided when the

Celestial guides deemed fit

In other timelines and parallel universes,

I wonder if we did accomplish that goal.

If we followed the stars that lead us

To each other at the right time.

But, we are stuck in this timeline.

In this universe.

And it has always been you.

It will always be...

You.

Hold me

Just this once, just for now,

throw everything down and hold

me...throw everything 

down and just be here.

I have never needed anything

more than I need you now.

I'm waiting.

~Stephanie Bennett-Henry

Meaningful work

 Instead of asking, "Have I worked

hard enough to deserve to rest?,"

I've started asking, "Have I rested

enough to do my most loving and

meaningful work?"

~Nicola Jane Hobbs

Never said

 What Jesus never said:

 "Feed the hungry only if they have papers."

 "Clothe the naked only if they're from your country." 

"Welcome the stranger only if there's zero risk."

 "Help the poor only if it's convenient."

 "Love your neighbor only if they look like you."

~James Martin, S.J.

Reduced

 You may not control

all the events that happen

to you, but you can decide

not to be reduced by

them.

~Maya Angelou

Unwavering love

You've mistaken her unwavering love for 

chains that will forever keep her shackled

to your feet.

Don't be so naive; she only follows after

love. Where love isn't present, she may

linger but will eventually flee.

Worth the pain

 Everyone in life is going to

hurt you. You just have to

figure out which people are

worth the pain.

~Bob Marley

Dark places

 One of the hardest lessons I've ever learned,

is that I stayed in so many dark places

because I believe I deserved

to be there when I didn't.

~Just A Poet Only

Slight chance

If there's even a slight chance at

getting something that will make

you happy, risk it. Life's too short,

and happiness it too rare.

~A.R. Lucas

A house

Your mind is a house.

You can decorate it or neglect it.

Fill it with beautiful art, inspiring books, and cozy furniture.

Or let it accumulate dust, clutter, and mold.

You decide.

~Scott D. Clary 

Angry

 If I'm angry, there is still hope.

As long as there are tears, words, and concern - there is care.

But once I become silent,

my efforts become nonexistent

and so does your place in my life.

~Morgan Richard Olivier

The point

I think so often, what people

misunderstand about boundaries

is that the point of setting them

is not to change other peoples

behavior or convince them to

value different things - it's to

advocate for yourself, regardless

of how they respond.

~J. Daniell Koepke

Love into

 As

it turns

out, you

cannot love

someone into

loving you

back.

~KM

Madly

 I 

still haven't 

figured out how

to sit across from you,

and not be madly in love

with everything

you do.

~William C. Hannan

Terrifies most

what terrifies

me most

is not being able

to make sense

of my vulnerability.

my softness

is my reward,

but the world is cruel

and constantly

makes me question it.

~Christopher Poindexter

Small world

i'm not sure

if we were meant

to find each other

but we did.

endless possibilities

in the paths

we choose

and take mistakenly

but

there you were.

197 million square miles

of earth

and we 

connected.

the probability,

the odds,

the chances,

still had me 

find you.

maybe

it really is

a small world

after all.

~P.T. Berkey

Too

 From Ravenous Butterflies

Don't make yourself small.

Not for anyone.

If someone tells you

you're too much...

too loud, too sensitive,

too fierce, too caring,

too intellectual, too optimistic,

too realistic, too logical, too emotional...

just smile and move on, my friend.

Clearly, they aren't enough for you.

~Laura Daub

Letting go

 There is peace in letting go

of how you feel it should be 

and simply embracing what it is.

~Morgan Richard Olivier

Beauty and terror

It is both

beauty and terror

isn't it?

This thing we 

call love.

Filled with 

an undeniable glory,

and if lost,

a burden that holds

the weight of 

the world.

When it lasts,

when it endures,

it is the most

beautiful thing

that we have.

It is what

we all deep down

desire.

A love that grows

into the stars.

~Christopher Poindexter

The fairytale

anyone who tells you the fairytale

isn't real just hasn't found it yet,

or they settled for less.

but that's their story, not yours.

let yourself believe in your fairytale.

~butterflies rising

Hundreds

if you don't want to have

your photos taken because

you think you aren't pretty

enough,

just remember...

your face is a combination

of hundreds of people who

were in love throughout

time.

you are beautiful.

Magic

I don't 

need magic,

I need your 

arms around me

at 3:29 am when

the dark 

is too much, I

need you to be real

when nothing

else is.

~a.r.asher

This part

Yes,

you will rise from the ashes,

but the burning comes first.

For this part,

darling,

you must be brave.

~Kalen Dion

Breathe in

breathe in.

say it one more time.

with me:

I need to only worry

about things I can control.

~kelly riddle

Later

 "Later" becomes "too late."

-Talk to you later.

-I'll call you later.

-See you later.

-We'll walk later.

-I'll tell you later.

We leave everything for later, but forget that "later" does not belong to us.

Later, our loved ones are no longer with us.

Later, we don't hear them and we don't see them.

Later, they are just memories.

Later, the day becomes night, the force becomes helpless,

the smile becomes a grimace, and life becomes death.

"Later" becomes "too late."

~Unknown

(Little depressing but true...)

All this chemistry

we're here

with all this chemistry

in our veins,

so let's stay up

and talk

about heaven, and earth,

and of your dreams,

and my dreams...

and maybe you could come closer and

show me love-colored things

~late night conversations

From wild spirit, soft heart, butterflies rising

Align

 HUSTLE (crossed out)

ALIGN

Destroy the idea that you have to be

constantly working or grinding in order

to be successful. Embrace the concept

that rest, recovery, and reflection are

essential parts of the progress toward a 

successful and ultimately happy life.

Your energy

sweet girl,

it wasn't that you weren't enough,

it's your energy...it asks

others to rise up, and not everyone

is willing to go where they

would grow

~butterflies rising

Be one

There are

certain places

she can go where

she doesn't have 

to be perfect.

Be one of them

and she'll keep 

coming back.

~AstonGardner

The innocent

The trust of the 

innocent is the liar's

most useful tool.

~Stephen King

Some hellos

some hellos are special.

extraordinary, they are

soothing and in some not

fully understood way, they

make the world feel right.

like an overdue love letter

lost in the mail, finally

returned.

~JmStorm

At last

 AT LAST

Love looks pretty on you. It makes you soft, tender, proud.

Makes you sit up and take notice. Gives you a home to set

down your things.

What a blessing it is, to have dancing and music and poetry.

What a gift it is, to look at someone and say,

I'm so happy to have found you - at last, at last, at long, long

last - you're here.

~Lang Leav

End of my road

You are the end of

my road. After a 

lifetime of missed

exits and wrong

turns, you feel

like I'm finally 

home. One journey

ends, and another

begins with you.

~RH

Explain

 Reminder:

You don't have to explain why you

want what you want, do what you do,

love what you love, need what you

need. You are allowed to live a life

some people don't understand.

~Laura McKowen

Potential

It's my love for potential

that causes me pain.

The desire to push people

to become better with time

always has a way of making

me waste my own.

~Morgan Richard Olivier

Love Him

 When obedience to God

contradicts what I think will

give me pleasure, let me ask

myself if I love Him.

~Elisabeth Elliot

Sunshine

I cannot guarantee 

You sunshine,

but I can promise

to stand beside You,

no matter how hard

it rains...

~Matthew Spenser

Question mark

You question 

if they love you.

You questions 

if you're really 

in love.

You question...

But I've lived 

enough years

to know what love

is not supposed

to feel like. 

Love shouldn't 

feel like a 

question mark.

~Alfa

Deeper

 The deeper the intimacy you experience, the

more your shadow will feel threatened and

try to convince you to run away, as your

nervous system doesn't know how to

respond to safety and stability.

~Lorin Krenn

Perfectly luxurious

 Definitely feel this way sometimes...

I don't care what anyone

says, living alone as a

woman is one of the most

perfectly luxurious

experiences of my life.

~Heather O'Neill

Free

What if I don't need you

to belong to me?

What if you

just continue to belong

to you,

and spend a lot of

your time 

with me?

~Free~

~J. Warren Welch

Your circle

 Your circle should

want you to win.

Your circle should 

clap the loudest when

you have good news.

If they don't, get a

new circle.

Can't save

 You can't save someone

Who doesn't want to be saved,

Especially if it comes at the cost

Of losing yourself.

You're worth more than being drowned

By the storms of someone else's

Bad decisions.

~Christie L. Starkweather

Wondering

You're worthy of clarity and certainty,

not left wondering about your place

in someone's life.

~R.M. Drake

Chose not to

You don't get to say

you miss me

if you could have had me

this whole time

but chose not to.

~chloe frayne

Deep heart

I'm not depressed. I'm not broken. Or empty.

I'm exhausted. Emotionally. Spiritually.

Physically. I just need someone to hold me.

Someone real. Someone who knows what it's 

like to have a deep heart.

~r.m. drake

First time

 When someone 

shows you who they

are, believe them the

first time.

~Maya Angelou

Messy

Love is messy.

Even the healthiest,

deepest,

truest love,

is just two messy people

trying to interact with each other

in multiple complicated ways.

If you can't handle messy,

you're not ready for love.

~Love is messy~

~J. Warren Welch

Her looks

 Forget her looks.

How about her insane

work ethic, her unstoppable

ambition, her burning passion,

and her ridiculously dope

soul.

~I Heart Intelligence

Feel like

 WHAT DOES LOVE FEEL LIKE?

One day you will meet someone

who will see the universe 

that was knitted into your bones,

and the embers of galaxies glow to life in your eyes.

And you will finally know

what love is supposed to feel like.

~Nikita Gill

belong

belong

when something is for you

it will not run or hide or

avoid being yours.

~Neon Soul

Probably harming

 From Flying Free

There is a difference between helping

someone who is disabled, incapable, or

otherwise infirm versus helping someone

who is resisting growing up and taking care 

of what every adult (or child, for that

matter) has to be responsible for: herself 

or himself. When you find yourself in any

way paying for someone else's

responsibilities, not only are you stuck with

a delayed ending, but you are probably

harming that person.

~Henry Cloud

No longer

 I have learned to no longer tiptoe around

sensitive topics, nor walk on eggshells or cater to

egos. I do not step lightly, but boldly, taking up

space, using my voice, and proudly expressing

who I am and how I feel. I refuse to make myself

smaller to make others more comfortable.

Life is too short to spend it on a leash.

~JD Lynn

Not unchristian

 It is not unchristian to

require people to treat

you in healthy ways.

~Lysa TerKeurst

One day

Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.  ~Maya Angelou

Offer you

"I offer you my hand,

my heart, and a share

in all of my possessions.

I ask you to  pass through

life at my side --

to be my second self,

and best earthly companion."

~Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

Let them

LET THEM

Let them argue

let them fight

let them think

they are right

let them gossip

let them rage

let them build

themselves a cage

let them judge

let them talk

let them walk

the way they walk

let them laugh

behind your back

they cannot push you

from your track

let them steal

each other's joy

let them silence

virtue's voice

let them wrestle

for the throne

let them pick flesh

from their bones

but of all

you let them do

do not let them

alter you

keep your focus

on the sky

and all the beauty

you pass by

stay within

your well-built walls

and answer only

worthy calls

let them lie

if they must

it's yourself

you need to trust.

By Donna Ashworth

Burning home

Posted on Flying Free

You are angry and anxious

because you never agreed

to live in a burning home

while the people who should care

pretend the fire doesn't exist.

Distress

is a valid emotional response

to injustice.

~Nikita Gill

Inspector

Once upon a time,

persuasive words

would give her goosebumps,

and sweet nothings would satisfy her

cravings.

The keys to her heart belonged to thieves.

But now,

she has grown to listen with her eyes,

to only trust actions,

and to study behaviors.

She has allowed time to be the inspector,

to see what it will reveal.

Prize

The Prize

We are not a love story, we are

a war that I've been waging.

I'm winning now.

I just didn't expect the prize

to be peace

instead of 

you.

~Kristina Mahr

Beautiful one day

 I believe everything will

be beautiful one day. I

even believe it is all

beautiful now and one day

I'll see that the beauty

was with me. always.

That the beauty was in

me always, too. And

I will laugh, because I

didn't need to doubt 

a thing.

~S.C. Lourie

No words

I read once that the 

ancient Egyptians had

fifty words for sand

& the Eskimos had a 

hundred words for snow.

I wish I had a thousand 

words for love, but all

that comes to mind is

the way you move against

me while you sleep

& there are no words 

for that.

A thousand

 do not

lose hope,

please believe

that there are

a thousand

beautiful things

waiting for you.

sunshine 

comes to all

who feel rain.

~r.m. drake

Tragic game

 You keep

proving me

right

in a tragic

game in which

I so 

desperately

want to be 

wrong at,

just this once.

~Samantha, Soul Spilled Sentiments

Same love

 You deserve to feel the same love you give.

~Jacqueline Whitney

Ways

You hurt me in ways you will never know.

But from where I stand now

there is no heaviness in my heart

for the loss of you,

because I've lost nothing.

~Omar Hachem

Finally free

Finally free,

But not because of any apology.

No.

The heartbreak didn't cut you deep enough

for you to say sorry to me.

But it's ok.

My heart bled enough for the two of us.

You never really felt it because

I couldn't get beneath your skin.

Even though I tried and tried,

you never would let me in.

And that's ok too,

because today

I'm forgiving myself.

For loving you.

Becoming free

body, mind, and soul...

Broken, but healing.

Wholeheartedly.

~Samantha, Soul Speed Sentiments

Pleasing others

If you're more worried about

pleasing others than about

caring for yourself, it might

mean that there is trauma in

your body telling you that

you are only safe when other

people are pleased with you.

Perhaps it's time to heal

that trauma so you can learn

to let people down while you

honor your own needs.

~Heather Plett

Feel stupid

Don't ever feel stupid for loving someone

who turned out to be everything they 

promised they would never be. But be proud

that you still believe in the goodness of people.

because that is rare. Don't let it harden you.

Learn the lesson, but keep that soft heart.

~Stephanie Bennett-Henry