—Maya Angelou
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
—Martin Luther King Jr.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
—Numbers 6:24–26
“Do not lose hope, please believe that there are a thousand beautiful things waiting for you. Sunshine comes to all who feel rain.”
—R. M. Drake
“God does not send us despair in order to kill us; he sends it in order to awaken us to new life.”
—Hermann Hesse
— 1 —
We Are Branches of the Same Tree
All human beings are limbs of each other,
having been created of one essence.
When time affects a limb with pain,
The other limbs cannot at rest remain.
If thou feel not other’s misery,
A human being is no name for thee.
—Sa’adi, 1210–1290
— 2 —
Take Positive Action
In a time of destruction, create something.
A poem.
A parade.
A community.
A school.
A vow.
A moral principle.
One peaceful moment.
—Maxine Hong Kingston
— 3 —
Everything Will Be All Right
I will breathe.
I will think of solutions.
I will not let my worry control me.
I will not let my stress level break me.
I will simply breathe.
And it will be okay.
Because I don’t quit.
— Shayne McClendon
— 4 —
Still I Rise
You will become a graveyard
of all the women you once were
before you rise one morning
embraced by your own skin.
You will swallow a thousand
different names
before you taste the meaning
held within your own.
—Pavana
— 5 —
The Soul Walks All Paths
The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs
rise and run murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths
would be revealed to your eyes.
But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge
with staff or sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless.
Say not, “I have found the truth,”
but rather, “I have found a truth.”
Say not, “I have found the path of the soul.”
Say rather, “I have met the soul walking upon my path.”
For the soul walks upon all paths.
The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.
—Kahlil Gibran
— 6 —
You Are Brave
I am whole.
I am learning.
I am letting go.
I am free.
I am talented and courageous.
I am protecting my joy.
I am brave.
I am healing.
I am loving myself.
Unapologetically.
—Alex Elle
— 7 —
Do Not Despair
Let no sadness come to this heart.
Let not trouble come to these arms.
Let no conflict come to these eyes.
Let my soul be filled
with the blessing of joy and peace.
—Hamsa Prayer
— 8 —
Respect Yourself
Learn to be alone
without being lonely.
Learn to admire your beauty
without finding fault.
Learn to love yourself
without the love of others.
—h.r.d.
— 9 —
I Will Not Die an Unlived Life
I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing.
—Dawna Markova
— 10 —
Live the Life You Always Imagined