Disgrace

You knew a book was amazing when you missed the transition from the sun shining to the sky fading to black

Any woman who’d ever lost a child knew of the hollowness that remained within the soul.

Being an almost mother isn’t a thing. You have seven children, whether they made it here or not doesn’t take away from the fact they existed. They were yours, and they were loved fully if only for those small moments. You are a mother, Grace. I am so, so sorry you were never able to hold your babies, but you are, and always will be, a mother.

And princess, can you do one thing for me?” “Of course, anything.” I combed her hair behind her ears and looked straight into those beautiful blue eyes as I spoke her way. “If you ever fall in love again, please let it be with me.

It turns out it doesn't matter how much you beg someone to stay. If they want to go, they are going to leave regardless. All we can do-all anyone can do is learn the art of letting go.

You’re my world, Gracelyn Mae,” he told me, moving in closer. [...] Jackson took my hands into his. “You’re my faith. You’re my hope. You’re my true religion. I’m a better man because you exist. I’m me because of you. And if you’d allow it, I’d love to spend the rest of my life worshipping your heartbeats.” I held his hands in mine and moved in close. My head tilted up, and I released a small breath as my eyes locked with his. A small, tiny, breath. My mouth grazed across his, and I whisperedagainst his lips. “Worship me, and I’ll worship you.

People don’t need nice; they need the truth. I find it ridiculous that a guy has this kind of hold on you. Have some self-respect. It’s insane to give full control of your emotions to someone who doesn’t give a damn about you

In his darkness, I found my light.

Because love—real love—didn’t mean always holding the same beliefs. It didn’t mean we had to see eye to eye on every subject. Yet what it did mean, what real love stood for was a mutual understanding. A respect for one another’s dreams and hopes and wishes and fears.

They’re gonna bleed you out till you’re nothing, and then they’re gonna ask how you died

My parents taught me to zoom in, ya know? It’s easy to judge others from afar. It’s easy to look at someone from outside your world and make blanket statements and judgments on who those people are. Because when you see others’ flaws, you somewhat justify that your flaws are better than theirs. But when you zoom in, when you truly look at the person beside you, you’ll see many of the same things. Hope. Love. Fear. Anger. Once you zoom in, you realize we are all similar in so many ways. We all bleed red, and even monster’s hearts can break. Just gotta remember to always zoom in.

Even when the world was dark, words in books existed. Therefore, I knew there would always be light around me even on the darkest of days.

Anxiety was a wild beast. It attacked me most in the quiet moments when the world was calm and I, too, should’ve been calm.

Sometimes, all a person needed was another to listen to their uneven heartbeats.

That was the biggest difference between the two men standing in front of me. Finley always caged me. Jackson allowed me to fly.

The world was selfish, unjust. How could so many undeserving people be given the opportunity to raise children they didn’t even want while so many worthy individuals didn’t get the chance?

How dare she steal something from me that wasn’t hers to take? How dare she swallow my husband whole while I was still trying to breathe him in? How dare she break my heart and not even care about the shards of brokenness piercing through my soul?

To those who’ve been left behind: May you remember the sound of your own heartbeats.

Falling for someone isn’t hard. It’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s all the other things that surround the fall that make it hard.

You taught me that my struggles aren't my flaws, they are just part of what makes me whole.

Love was a messy emotion that didn’t walk a straight line. It worked in waves and loops of ups and downs. It was a screwy emotion that could somehow still exist amidst the ultimate heartbreak and betrayal.

Words had the power to transport a small-town girl to worlds she’d never imagined.

We were created to feel,

I’ve seen so many places over the past few months. I’ve witnessed a million sunrises, and I’ve seen the sun set. There were thousands of roads I’ve driven, and no matter which one I took, no matter if I went left or right, north or south, it seemed that they all led me right back to you.

A half smile from Jackson Emery felt like so much more than the average person’s full-blown grin.

The only one responsible for you is you. You have to find yourself. You have to have your own back. Otherwise, you’ll spend your life trying to be everything for everyone else, and one hundred percent of the time, you’ll still not be enough. So, you gotta choose yourself. From this point on, you have to be your first choice. Otherwise, you’ll drown.

Sometimes to find yourself, you have to let others down—parents included.

Love her fully, or let her go.

just because someone’s your everything doesn’t mean you’re theirs.

Those times you feel lost and afraid and weak—those are your moments for a breakthrough. Hidden beneath those dark moments is your power. Take those weak moments and make them powerful. Make them matter, Jackson. Make them count.