] “I think love is the driving force that allows us to be there for one another. If we’re not there for one another, then really, what’s the purpose? What’s the point?”

] “I’m grateful for all the things that I’ve been through because it’s things that I’ve learned from. It’s something that I can tell somebody else and say, ‘I understand you. I understand where you’re coming from. And this is how I did it. And this is what worked for me. And I know what you’re going through… I know what you’re feeling.’ And that’s a world of consolation to me. It helps me realize that what I went through wasn’t in vain, but only an instrument for helping others.”

] “Who’s to know that what might be a tragedy to me, might be a blessing [to someone else]?”

] “We don’t really know what’s going on. We just know that suffering is a part of life. And we know that God is there to help us through it. But it’s not that we’re not going to suffer, it’s just that we can handle it when we have God in our lives.”

] “I had to forgive myself to love myself.”

] “I was only able to love myself when I was able to acknowledge that God did love me after all.”

] “I think that’s what holds so [many] of us back from truly seeking God and having his goodness in our lives. Because we feel that we don’t deserve it… And so we keep ourselves from having a close relationship with Him.”

] “That’s all you can do—focus on the next moment, the next step, the next choice you have.”

] “You have to be patient in the process because that’s how it gets better. It’s that messy, difficult process—that’s the most important.”

] “Just trust God. And you never get worried, you never get afraid, you never get stressed if you simply realize that God is in control.”

] “Just because things don’t happen right away doesn’t mean they’re not going to happen.”

] “When my prayer isn’t answered in the way I want it to, [it’s because] there’s always a better answer.”

] “God’s love never dies, it never gives up, [and] it’s always there, no matter what you’ve been through, where you are, or what you’ve done.”