Trying to eradicate anger is like trying to box with our own shadow: It doesn't work. Getting rid of it implies either expressing it and creating untold emotional damage, denying its existence, or repressing it until it erupts at a later time.

Grace is always extended, something that becomes clearer each time I remind myself that healing is an ongoing process and never a final destination.

It keeps me hopeful that the worst of times will not be in vain if we can just learn from them to ensure they never happen again, and to ensure we continue to do what is needed to help all humans be just that -- human.

There is a long history here that primes this moment -- a history of learning to identify and relate with life's essence regardless of its form. I haven't always been this sentimentally attuned.

While blessings won't feed the hungry or end wars or assuage greed, they can serve as a balm to help make connections beyond what separates us.

When we bear witness, we lovingly give our attention to the other without judgment. When we allow another to bear witness to us, we give ourselves the freedom to be known.

There is only one place to practice compassion: the one you're in. You can never leave this place, but you can turn it inside out.

There's something troubling about the use of the word "relationship" that excludes all relationships but romantic ones. All other adult relationships aren't just excluded in the wording; they're absent from the studies.