Her essay about the wedding ring was short. Kerr wrote: "Things are just things - they have no power to hurt or to heal. Only people can do that. And we can all choose whether to be hurt or healed by the people who love us." That was all. And that was everything.

One thing I have learned during these past few terrible years is that our grief and sorrow should be shared, not carried alone.

is it better not to fall in love at all, or to love someone for a little while, even if you have to say good-bye?

The wilderness is a place where we can lean on God and trust His promises, but it's also a place to discover that the arms He provides and the ears that listen to our fears sometimes belong to flesh-and-blood people.

The roots of this friendship that once nourished me in deep places now ache with a barren flow. The conversations and connections have been hollowed out and replaced with a stabbing throb of a pierced soul. The arrow dug deep.

Relationships don't come in packages of perfection; relationships come in packages of potential.

The emptiness in your heart because that person you love doesn't seek to really understand you, rarely cheers you on, and doesn't seem to want to connect intimately with you.

Proximity and activity don't always equal connectivity.

packages of perfection; relationships come in packages of potential.

Or, "Most of the time when you open your mouth, make known the gospel. But if you're feeling really, really hurt, rally other people around your cause and make this other person look as bad as you can.

Relationships nourish us in ways nothing else can. It's the relationships that help unrush us. Relationships can complicate things. But they also have the power to force us into a much simpler rhythm.

Sometimes relationships grow stronger through conflict; other times relationships end.