When I could find something to laugh about for 30 minutes, my grief lightened just enough to make the day bearable.

I can’t cure anyone. I can’t guarantee they will heal. I can only tell them my story, remind them that they are not alone in their journey and offer a glimmer of hope for healing.

Laughter lightens my heart and therefore heals my soul as well.

We are exquisite souls housed in physical bodies.

Extreme emotional pain has a profound effect on the body. I witnessed my already frail body become even more toxic and plundered.

Forgiveness enables me to walk away from that pain, the loneliness and suffering.

As a sufferer of depression for many years, I know the importance of trying to find positive experiences in each day, no matter how small.

I have learned through repeated experiences that in order to heal, I MUST forgive. The forgiveness is not for the transgressor. The forgiveness is for ME.

Forgiveness does not mean I approve of or condone what transpired.

We cannot fully heal if we cannot experience gratitude on a daily basis.

When we have loved, that loving part is the best part of any and every day.

But the second she opened her eyes and looked at me, I knew. She was either going to be the death of me . . . or she was going to be the one who finally brought me back to life.

The value we place on what we've been given correlates to our depth of gratitude for it.

The unique stigma of PTSD. The stigma of PTSD remains one of the most formidable barriers to effective care.

A child is a person who can't understand why someone would give away a perfectly good kitten.

If people destroy something replaceable made by mankind, they are called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable made by God, they are called developers.

We have a strange and wonderful relationship - he's strange and I'm wonderful.

I'm 81 and I'm in the prime of my life.

The fact is that all of us have only one personality, and we wring it out like a dishtowel. You are what you are.

And die with decency.

For me, I understood the gift of being able to empower others and to not do everything yourself.