Now that the war has long been over, I know why my fear vanished beneath that spacious sky. You see, once I was alone with nature I realized, without actually being aware of it, that fear doesn't help, that it doesn't get you anywhere. Anyone who's as frightened as I was should look to nature and realize that God is much closer than most people think. From that moment on, though countless bombs fell close by, I was never truly afraid again.

A nun I know once told me she kept begging God to take her character defects away from her. After years of this prayer, God finally got back to her: I'm not going to take anything away from you, you have to give it to Me.

And that almost everyone was struggling to wake up, to be loved, and not feel so afraid all the time. That's what the cars, degrees, booze, and drugs were about.

I do believe that God is with us even when we're at our craziest and that this goodness guides, provides, and protects.

It may be one of those miracles where your heart sinks, because you think it means you have lost. But in surrender you have won. And if it were me, after a moment, I would say, Thanks.

They taught me that maturity was the ability to live with unresolved problems.

My elderly priest friend Terry says, "Don't try harder—resist less.

Anxiety is experiencing failure in advance. Tell yourself enough vivid stories about the worst possible outcome of your work and you'll soon come to believe them. Worry is not preparation, and anxiety doesn't make you better.

Those who fear risk also begin to fear movement of any kind.

A life without attachment and stress can give you the freedom to see things as they are and call them as you see them.

when you've come to the end of yourself and you don't get it, take a nap, have a good meal, and lean in for the gentle whisper of God.

F . . . fall on your face before Him. E . . . earnestly seek Him. A . . . ask Him to give you His peace. R . . . rest in His presence.