There are different kinds of strength. Some people are rocks and others are rivers. Never try to be a rock when when you are the fluid strength of a river. When you cry ask yourself, what is stronger, the rock or the river that carves it out?

I do not break or bleed, with tears and tenderness of heart, I absorb hard lessons. Sense far beyond present places. See scars turned to maps of where I've been and how far I have come. They will tell how I arrived ripe in my own center still full of juice and joy.

My resilient heart is moving double time to catch up with the truth in my head. Eventually both head and heart will be in agreement that this is ultimately for the best because I am worthy of being loved authentically.

In a world where bad behavior is celebrated with a reality television salary and being mean to one another is the rubric used to determine passion and strength, people often mistake my kindness for weakness. It isn't until it is too late do these folks realize that the openness of my heart and breadth of my compassion also flows inward and is what gives me the strength to walk away without looking back.

Tears are a river that takes you somewhere…Tears lift your boat off the rocks, off dry ground, carrying it downriver to someplace better.

We may be floating on Tao, but there is nothing wrong with steering. If Tao is like a river, it is certainly good to know where the rocks are.