Camille Pagan Quotes

Candles blazing, the people closet to me in the world sang "Happy Birthday," and I grinned like a fool and tried not to cry because it was so wonderful and so disarming - almost like being transported back to a moment in childhood that I had not actually lived through. I blew out the candles and everyone cheered. "Thank you all for being here with me," I said, too choked up to manage more. It is so easy to go through your days stewing about someone stealing your parking spot without giving the same attention to your child's arms around your neck, to grumble about the ever-increasing cost of groceries without realizing just how good it is have warm toast and a fresh cup of coffee while sitting across from the one you love.

guts you, then saunters away as the vultures swoop down to steal what's left. I knew that.

the only things I needed for spiritual redemption were sand and water, authentic Mexican food, and buckets of margaritas.

Something in me was unfurling fast, and it was wonderful or terrible, depending on how you looked at it. Maybe both.

seats to choose from; I took one behind him to the right,

Your mother's not gone, Libby. You'll see her again one day." I clung to this belief, even as I cursed its complete and utter inability to offer real comfort. I did not want to hear it, even from my own husband. Nor did I want to hear about God having a plan, or all things happening for a reason, or any other number of Hallmark sentiments that pinged against my heart like pebbles on a thin windowpane.

I know, having myself lost a parent too soon, that being without a father will not be easy for you. But try to remember that loss is an incredible stroke of luck. Yes, luck. For loss caries with it two truths: that you have loved, and hat you yourself have had the good fortune to live a little longer.

Tom, Tom, Tom," I said, fingering the top of the knife bar, which was dusty; I'd take care of that later. "You lost the right to ask for sympathy about three minutes ago. Now get out of our home before I stab you again.

I allowed myself to admit what I had spent months denying: I had loved him so long that my love for him had become a part of me. I could no sooner undo it than I could rewrite my own genetic code.

The unfixable nature of never - that's what makes it so terrible to bear.

This isn't a fight; it's a tough thing to talk about. There's a difference.

to be compassionate with myself, even when my will is weak and my body fails me; to give myself freely to those I love, even when it means my heart may be broken; and to live fully and completely while I have the chance - just

At one point I found myself simultaneously cursing him and reaching for the phone to call him and tell him all about how my terrible husband had wronged me, as if there were two versions of him: the imposter who had just hurt me, and the real Tom, who would curse imposter Tom and make it all better.

Love me when I'm at my worst. Love me when you don't agree with me, and when this no longer feels new and surprising. Love me through it all.

To have been placed on this planet with you...at the same time...is the gift of my life.

as bitter and medicinal as the martini was, I set about drinking it as though each sip would make it more appetizing. Which proved to be true. Five

For now, I had the good fortune of more chances to fail and succeed, more love to give and receive - more life. And while I didn't know what my future held, I would follow my mother's lead. I would summon my strength and go find out what was next.

Sometimes, when I was feeling especially blue, I would imagine what it would have been like if I'd been a different age when my mother died. At ten, I was old enough to understand the terrible thing that had happened to us, but too young to have soaked up so many of the details that I, as an adult, longed to know about her and her life. Now the little I did remember was fading with time.

*marissa tries to get her single, working mother's attention by suggesting something outrageous, to which mom replies:*

'You're a smart girl. Use your head and avoid any guy who reminds you of your father.

Look beyond what is missing and be thankful for all that remains.

Laura tells herself, This is now, and feels happy because the now could not be forgotten as it was happening.

It's been said that every good parent wants only for his child to be happy. I want happiness for you, but so much more. I want you to not know the pain that awaits you. I want you to roar back at the things that scare you. I want for you a life that is not just happy, but meaningful.

But above all, I want you to embrace the love you find yourself drawn to, whatever that may be. I hope this book will show you that if you can find it in you to push past the fear of loving another person - if you can lean to live with the inevitable loss that comes with doing so - you will know a good and meaningful life.

Most people say they want the truth. What they mean is that they want it if it's palatable.

I was beginning to think waiting was often the worst idea. Sometimes the longer you thought about something, the harder it became to make a decision.

Trust me, it's the weight of someone else's expectation that's the hardest to lose.

I was lonely at times, but not alone.

Think about what you want out of the situation, not how you feel about it.

And as for you and those damn ten pounds you're always complaining about? I think you should just stop obsessing and start living.

The people we are drawn to are the ones we need most, even if we are never able to fully comprehend why.