“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief…and unspeakable love.”  

-Washington Irving

As I am about to embark on another summer away from Loman, Willow, and Belle, I’ve thinking a lot [which isn’t unusual]. I am so grateful for my little family. As I sit back and think about the past three years, I’m overwhelmed with emotion. We have been through so much and continue to face some of the most trying times of our lives. However, on the radio today, I heard someone talking about simply being grateful and the affect gratitude has on worrying, anxiety, and even depression. I could sit here and try to figure out that which is not mine to understand or I can think on those things which bring me joy. So, I have chosen to be grateful. I’ve chosen to reflect on some of the most meaningful things in my life . I will miss them so much this next month, but I know that I’m doing what the Lord would have me to do. I also know that love transcends all. So, as I sit here and prepare myself for the whirlwind of a summer that’s about to ensue, I am comforted in knowing that my tears are in fact sacred. Also, whilst facebooking and surfing the web [:)] rather than packing for camp, I came across some pretty solid quotes about love and relationships.

“I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself,  but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.”

-Roy Croft

“Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I really need it.”

-Swedish Proverb

“Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it’s cracked up to be. That’s why people are so cynical about it. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.”

-Erica Jong

“The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”

-Thomas Merton

“Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. Love still stands when all else has fallen.”

-Anonymous