"In that moment, I felt my heart break. And I thought, “I can’t live without you. I don’t want to live without you,” and then it slowly crept into my mind that no matter how bad I wanted or needed you, it wouldn’t matter. Somehow, and very painfully I was sure, my life would continue. With or without you."

"I’m scared and I don’t say that often, but I can’t stand the fact that you could hurt me. I don’t like being close, but I love it. You’re my everything and I hate it because you have everything you need to break me. And I’m not saying you will, but I’m scared."

"When you don’t make the cut, think of how lucky you were to be able to try; there are kids in parts of the world who are worrying about what they will eat for dinner let alone making a team. When you don’t get the new shoes you want, think of how blessed you are to have feet to put shoes on; there are people all over the world who would give anything to be able to walk again. When your parents won’t let you go out to a party, think of how lucky you are to have parents who care; there are kids all over the world who would give anything to have their parents love them or to have parents at all. When you think life can’t get any worse for you, think of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the lonely, the widowers, the military and army at war (and all people fighting and dying for our country), the parents of missing children and the families going through Christmas for the first year without a loved one; just remember how blessed you are to still be here. So try to make someone’s day a little better with a kind hi or hello. You never know what anyone else is going through, and sometimes it might just make you thankful for what you have."