What Stays With Me Most

All Women On Earth-- And Men, Too For That Matter-- Hope For The Kind Of Love That Transforms Us, Raises Us Up Out Of The Everyday, & Gives Us The Courage To Survive Our Little Deaths: The Heartache Of Unfulfilled Dreams, Of Career And Personal Disappointments, Of Broken Love Affairs.

We're Told That Men Are Strong & Brave, But I Think Women Know How To Endure, Accept Defeat & Bear Physical & Mental Agony Much Better Than Men.

Let Those Who Believe, Believe. Let Those Who Doubt, Doubt.

I Think Sometimes As An Adult, You Take People For What They Do, And What They Are Now, Instead Of The Whole Picture Of Their Lives.

When I Knew I Couldn't Suffer Another Moment Of Pain, And Tears Fell On My Bloody Bindings, My Mother Spoke Softly Into My Ear, Encouraging Me To Go One More Hour, One More Day, One More Week, Reminding Me Of The Rewards I Would Have If I Carried On A Little Longer. In This Way, She Taught Me How To Endure — Not Just The Physical Trials Of Footbinding And Childbearing But The More Torturous Pain Of The Heart, Mind, And Soul.