We have what we seek, it is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.

Winston Churchill expresses it well. He says, "Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.

During difficult times I often turn to a gospel song called "Stand." In it, songwriter Donnie McClurkin sings, "What do you do when you've done all you can, and it seems like it's never enough? What do you give when you've given your all, and it seems like you can't make it through?" The answer lies in McClurkin's simple refrain: "You just stand.

My highest achievement: never shutting down my heart. Even in my darkest moments—through sexual abuse, a pregnancy at 14, lies and betrayals—I remained faithful, hopeful, and willing to see the best in people, regardless of whether they were showing me their worst. I continued to believe that no matter how hard the climb, there is always a way to let in a sliver of light to illuminate the path forward.

I knew that what I was seeking to discover was a thing I'd always known. That all courage was a form of constancy. That it was always himself that the coward abandoned first. After this all other betrayals came easily.

You'd think a man that had waited eighty some odd years on God to come into his life, well, you'd think he'd come. If he didnt you'd still have to figure that he knew what he was doin. I don't know what other description of God you could have. So what you end up with is that those he has spoke to are the ones that must of needed it the worst. That's not a easy thing to accept.

Can't stop what's coming. Ain't no waiting on you. That's vanity.

I knew that courage came with less struggle for some than for others but I believed that anyone who desired it could have it.

All courage was a form of constancy. It was always himself that the coward abandoned first. After this all other betrayals came easily.

So they won't be able to blow out my wanting you, nor the little glow there is between you and me. We'll be together next year. And though I'm frightened, I believe in your being with me.

Nobody knocks here, and the unexpected sounds ominous.

Missing me one place, search another. I stop somewhere waiting for you.