Come Matter Here Quotes

“I think we worship these stories of leaving it all behind and going somewhere new, but I’m beginning to see that every one of those stories has the same truth holding up this romantic idea of leaving: The stuff you’re not facing will follow you. It will get in the car too. It will pack a bag too. Leaving isn’t the key; changing is. I’m learning that life isn’t about the destinations we can boast about getting to; it’s about all the walking in between that feels pointless when you try to take a picture of it because no one will understand it like you do. It’s the in between stuff that fleshes out a story—gives it guts and transformation.
It’s not about the scenery changing or the person you say good night to. The traveler must be the one to change. That’s what makes the story good.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World

“If I could write an autobiography for fear, it would read like this:
__________

Hi, my name is Fear. F-E-A-R. But you are going to call me a lot of other things as you start to get closer to me. I’m terribly unoriginal. I’m like every has-been out there, but you give me way more credit than I deserve. You should keep doing that. I like it when you make me bigger than I actually am. I’m going to make you feel alone, and I like it when you believe you’re the only one who’s ever felt this way. You think I’m custom-catered to fit you, but I’m really no different than the brand of me your best friend wears. I’m a ballad lurking in the hearts of a billion people, and I will do anything to keep you from realizing that I am just the same song on repeat. You all know all my words.
I’m pretty jealous though. I want you alone with me at night. I’m not afraid to say I’m greedy or that I don’t want to share you. I’m a territorial lover, and I would rather you not have solid and deep conversations at dinner parties or find a community that doesn’t leave your side. I wrote you a story a long time ago, and I don’t want you to figure out that you’ve outgrown the plotline.
I wonder why you don’t get over me sometimes, but then the realization hits me: You come back because you know I want you. You come back because you know the sound of my voice. You come back because you know the way I move and how I shut you down. You’ve stood face-to-face with me so many times and I have told you who you are. The crazy thing is, you’ve believed me.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World

“More than anything, I hope you know that it matters that you're here.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World

“With love, there's always more left over. Fear shrinks and shrivels. Fear has an expiration date. But love keeps on growing keeps on giving with more than enough for everyone.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World

“I think something bigger is always happening, but it is never how we narrate it in our own head. It never is. We will meet people we never imagined in places we never planned to go. But it starts with a choice and then follows with a step. Make a choice. Take a step. Make a choice. Take a step. It’s a rhythm of life. You may not get your answer until you make the choice and take the step.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World

“I realize love—building it and making it last—is doing a lot of the things you don’t really feel like doing.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World

“Dear God, I don’t want to miss a thing. Wake me up to the world around me and show me how to live in your constant presence. I want eyes to see you in the small details, the big events, and the darkest hours. Save me from distractions so I don’t miss the good parts of this lifetime.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World

“Anxiety, I’ve learned, is like an overzealous Monopoly player, except its playing board is your brain. It wants to build houses and hotels all over your territories—your relationships, your job, your health, your spirituality. One of the hardest things to learn is that not everything anxiety tells you is true.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World

“It’s easy to slip into a pattern where you don’t really take care of your relationships. Investing in someone’s life is not the same as investigating someone’s life. One requires patience, capacity, and continuing to be there when the door looks so enticing. We cannot be people who accept a check-in text or a comment on a photo as enough to say we are truly living in community.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World

“I love my generation, but we are flaky sometimes. I’ve had several conversations with people my age who say the reason it’s so tough to build relationships or keep them going is because we come into them with only half of our hearts sometimes. We like to keep one foot out the door in case a better option comes along.
I used to be guilty of this. I would make plans with someone, but I would be flaky about the confirmation. We’d leave the time or the place open-ended. There were plenty of times when, as the meet-up approached, I’d pray that they would duck out. I’m learning you miss out on a lot of things in life when you are indecisive about your yes. Saying yes and following through builds a lot of character. It makes you a reliable person.
I had to place the habit of flakiness—as sacred as it felt to me—on the altar and sacrifice it to the gods of consistency once I decided to stay in Atlanta. Sometimes you don’t even realize how much people need you to show up.”
― Hannah Brencher, Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World