Stories make us more alive more human more courageous more loving.

We unaccustomed to courageexiles from delightlive coiled in shells of lonelinessuntil love leaves its high holy templeand comes into our sightto liberate us into life.Love arrivesand in its train come ecstasiesold memories of pleasureancient histories of pain.Yet if we are boldlove strikes away the chains of fearfrom our souls.We are weaned from our timidityIn the flush of loves lightwe dare be braveAnd suddenly we seethat love costs all we areand will ever be.Yet it is only lovewhich sets us free.

...Who could refrainThat had a heart to love and in that heartCourage to make love known

Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joythe experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.

If I am to be fallen into love I will. And if as a result I will appear to be stupid disillusioned and of poor judgment I will. And I would be damned if I cared what other people think. For I would rather be thought of as all of these things than not love. If in loving I become the naked woman on the horse I will ride that horse with my head held high. This is my spirit. I am unbreakable.

You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms but I will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there more than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to earth. People who love in a world without walls people who love into hate into refusal against hope and without fear.I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.

Listen to the people who love you. Believe that they are worth living for even when you dont believe it. Seek out the memories depression takes away and project them into the future. Be brave be strong take your pills. Exercise because its good for you even if every step weighs a thousand pounds. Eat when food itself disgusts you. Reason with yourself when you have lost your reason.

Yet each man kills the thing he lovesBy each let this be heardSome do it with a bitter lookSome with a flattering wordThe coward does it with a kissThe brave man with a sword

My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.

Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.