Life has not always been easy on her... yet she has somehow managed not only to survive but also to believe in the beauty of the world. She has remained an optimist. She has fun in this life, no matter what. I’ve learned that you can plan your life all you want, but you can’t control it. You have to dive headfirst into it, experience its joys and pains... you have to live... and then you have to share those stories with the ones you love before its too late.

But sometimes-at the strangest times- I think God forces us to stop for a moment, be still and reflect on our lives. Either we choose to pay attention or we don’t... and I think that often determines the path we take.

What is the only city with three dotted letters in a row?” Willo interrupted. “Beijing,” Angelo laughed.

Change is inevitable. Forgetting is inexcusable.

Think of what you could be, not what everyone else wants you to be.

If we’re good to Mother Nature, she will be good to us, he always used to tell her. Same goes for people.

We too often let others take our dreams from us. We let fear overwhelm us. We take the path of least resistance. We stop trying to build our own castle.

She smiled... and let loose a happy scream that seemed to release decades of insecurity, unhappiness, obsessiveness and worry.

It’s up to us to remember how multifaceted we are and to celebrate all those odd little angles we have which make us who we are.

Do what makes you happy. It sounds so simple and yet it’s so hard, because few of us do. We live out of fear. We live for others, their hopes and expectations. We do what makes everyone else happy.