Susan

“Each beginning is the end of a waiting. We are each given exactly one chance to be. Each of us is both impossible and inevitable. Every replete tree was first a seed that waited.”
― Hope Jahren, Lab Girl

“I understood how all the flowers He has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the Lily do not take away from the perfume of the little violet or the simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers. And so it is in the world of souls, Jesus’ garden. He willed to create great souls comparable to Lilies and roses, but He has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God’s glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be” (S,”
― Foley OCD, Marc, Story of a Soul The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Study Edition

“If I serve you in hopes of Paradise,
deny me Paradise.
If I serve thee in fear of hell,
condemn me to hell.
But if I love thee for love of thyself,
then grant me thyself.”
― Mark Salzman

“Well, that shoots the morning.” As I heard myself saying these familiar words, I was struck by their strangeness. Why would an act of charity shoot my morning? Isn’t growing in love what life is all about? Yes, but the purpose of life often gets in the way of my agenda!”
― Marc Foley, Story of a Soul The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Study Edition