“You don't blast a heart open," she said. "You coax and nurture it open, like the sun does to a rose.”

“Gratitude isn't a tool to manipulate the universe or God. It's a way to acknowledge our faith that everything happens for a reason even if we don't know what that reason is. ~Melody Beattie, 52 Weeks of Conscious Contact, pg. 34.”

“We can trust ourselves to know when our boundaries are being violated.”

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

“Make New Year's goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you're interested in fully living life in the year to come.”

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.”

“Twelve-step promotes spirituality, not religion. It gives a practical, day-to-day spirituality that tells me what I can and cannot control. There is room to be imperfect and to be someone who struggles to find God.”

“It's hard to give up the self-esteem connected to being codependent and appearing 'right,' which is probably a survival behavior learned from growing up in a crazy family. It feels like you will actually disappear.”

“We have as much time as we need.”

“Each moment in time we have it all even when we think we don't.”

“If we want to change what happens, we change what we believe and expect.”