Who would answer all the questions, fulfill all the requests? Would anyone? Could anyone? History had taught the citizens of Watts to hope for the best and expect nothing, but be prepared for the worst.

History, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, but if faced With courage, need not be lived again.

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." —Maya Angelou

I can change by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.

Today, I will let things happen without worrying about the significance of each event. I will trust that this will bring about my growth faster than running around with a microscope. I will trust my lessons to reveal themselves in their own time.

We work it out, or live it out.

Even recovery brings losses, more changes we must struggle to accept.

Struggling is okay. Back-stepping is okay. Small bits of progress are not only okay, they're admirable.

I'm convinced that much of the success I have experienced in life is a result of learning from my failures.

I had focused on the failure because I had not yet acquired the wisdom necessary to attain a better perspective.

It's how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty.

Oysters are a lot like women. It's how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty.