Sometimes when we awaken from the bad dream of disowning ourselves, we think that the sojourn to self-discovery is a new one. But it is an ancient quest.

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.

Real life isn't always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties.

One of the most important milestones we'll all hit along the way is the moment when we finally own our unique point of view and realize how priceless it is.

Our deepest wishes are whispers of our authentic selves. We must learn to respect them. We must learn to listen.

Expect to have hope rekindled. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.

Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need.

Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years, but of moments. You must experience each one before you can appreciate it.

Grace is available for each of us every day - our spiritual daily bread - but we've got to remember to ask for it with a grateful heart and not worry about whether there will be enough for tomorrow.

Every time we remember to say "thank you", we experience nothing less than heaven on earth.

Learning to live in the present moment is part of the path of joy.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.

When something poses as obstacle to you, surmount it and use it as a miracle to move on to greater height.

The war that killed my grandfather and great-uncles and thousands of other blacks is only a footnote in our history books.

Gallows humor is part of having a doctor in the house. Deal with it.

Gen. Tommy Franks told me the war was being compromised as specialized personnel and equipment were being shifted from Afghanistan to prepare for the war in Iraq - a war more than a year away.

I exercise most days.

We live in a moment and a culture when reading is really endangered. There's simply no way to write well, though, if you're not reading well.

Men of most renowned virtue have sometimes by transgressing most truly kept the law.

I have proven a danger to both myself and those around me when carrying these weapons. I'm extraordinarily clumsy.

We, like the Mother of the World, become the compassionate presence that can hold, with tenderness, the rising and passing waves of suffering.