The Rest of Me

by Ashley Munoz

Eat your heart out, skinny-jean-wearing men of America—country boys have you beat.

I tried to explain that hate isn’t a disease; it’s an addiction. Once the heart gets a dose, it will always crave more.

“Mommy says he needs a whole lot of Jesus, but I think Jesus is getting tired of his attitude,” Henley commented while reaching for the cookies.

Humility was like a slow-moving tidal wave that snuck in and obliterated anything not tied down.

“That’s all right. We all gotta wait until it’s right to get out and see who needs seein’.”

“You know better than anyone that you can’t walk into the world and expect to be handed all the keys you once held. You have to earn those back, son.”

I wanted to tell you that somehow, through the love of this man, I’ve found a way to forgive your brother.

“The thing is, she did. She showed me that love can heal this. It’s better than time, and it’s better than truth. It can cover ugly things and open hard ones.