hope is a function of struggle. … hope is not an emotion, but hope is a cognitive, behavioral process that we learn when we experience adversity, when we have relationships that are trustworthy, when people have faith in our ability to get out of a jam.

  If you make friends with yourself, you will never be alone. -Maxwell Maltz Sometimes, when I am struggling with uncomfortable feelings, I am apt to turn my focus outward and fixate on others rather than accepting my own reality. At times like this, I often find myself afraid to be without others there to…

  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. … Truly, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and…

  “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” This past week for me has brought extremely tragic and sudden news. In the past, I would have simply allowed myself to be devoured by my pain. I would have isolated myself and decided that no one could possibly understand my sadness – that I and I…