Quote of the Week

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In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. 

--Albert Camus 

Quote of the Week

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Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. 

--Kahlil Gibran  

On Friday, the almighty king rose from his throne to bow down to his people

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"The gunfire us makes it hard to hear. 

But the human voice is different from 

other sounds. It can be heard over noises 

that bury everything else. Even when it's 

not shouting. Even when it's just a 

whisper. Even the lowest whisper can be 

heard - -over armies... when it's telling 

the truth. "

--"The Interpreter" 

Quote of the Week

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A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. 

--David Brinkley 

Post Secret Sunday: Different is not the 'other,' but an extension of 'us."

Moments and stories like these ignite my appreciation of the power of media. As frustrating as it is to be constantly bombarded with articles about what so-and-so wore to the red carpet, or how DMX violated his probation for the zillionth time, or how many cups of coffee Taylor and Jake shared in their courtship, I'm glad that shows like Glee are in the spotlight. I'm glad that LGBT and differently abled teens are not only represented in mainstream media, but are depicted as humans who just happen to be LGBT or have disabilities, rather than be defined by them. They're not the other; they're a part of us. 

The Greatest Revenge...

...is not only to survive, but to live, hope, and love. To be human is the greatest defiance. 

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There are monsters lurking and skulking in the darkness, wanting to victimize us. Whether it be through war crimes, rape, or hate-motivated crimes, they endeavor to rid us of our humanity. To make us feel like we are animals or objects to be owned. 

Sometimes we break. Sometimes we sustain damages on our bodies, in our minds, in souls, in our beings. We begin to wonder, Can I ever be fixed? We fail to remember one thing: when our souls and bodies become broken windows in the dark, a single broken shard has the power to let light in. No matter how small this light may be, it is light nonetheless. The sun may not abundantly stream enough light to show a straight and narrow way out, but as long as there is a spark of light to shine down our feet, it is enough. Step by step, little by little, we are reclaiming the power to get off our knees, stand up, and walk wherever our feet take us. We are taking control. 

Quote of the Week

Something comes up like bubbles to the surface, bringing up another part of ourselves that has been silent; that we were in the dark about. Lurking. Nightmares aren't my favorite thing. I want to feel safe, period. My soul wants to feel safe not terrorized. For many years, I shut down that place inside myself that needed to rage, cry, ask questions and basically just express herself. I made a conscious choice when I put 'Me and a Gun' on the record not to stay a victim anymore. The last thing I want to be known as is 'The Girl Who Got Raped'. The big turn around you make in your head is from victim to survivor.  It's about realizing, painfully, you've kept that voice inside yourself, locked away from even yourself. And you step back and see that your jailer has changed faces. You realize you've become your own jailer.  The idea is to rescue myself from the role of a victim. That I have a choice left. Though I can't change what has happened, I can choose how to react. And I don't want to spend the rest of my life being bitter and locked up.  I think you have to know who you are, get to know the monster that lives in your soul, dive deep into your soul and explore it.  I see the dream and I see the nightmare, and I believe you can't have the dream without the nightmare.  I think that the nightmares are telling me things about myself that I need to know. And I try to understand what they mean, so I can get to know something more about my soul.  I am finding that vulnerability gives me great strength, because you're not hiding anymore.

--Tori Amos 

Quote of the Week

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Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. 

--Viktor E. Frankl 

Quote of the Day

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Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things--with resignation, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope.

--President Cory C. Aquino