But, Like Peace, Comfort Didn't Come From

Winning Doesn't Mean My Book Is Better Than Anyone Else's. It Means I'm Very Fortunate. And I Should Be Very, Very Aware Of That. And Grateful.

The Leaves Had Fallen From The Trees And Lay Crisp And Crackling Beneath His Feet. Picking One Up He Marveled, Not For The First Time, At The Perfection Of Nature Where Leaves Were Most Beautiful At The Very End Of Their Lives.

No Good Ever Comes From Putting Up Walls. What People Mistake For Safety Is In Fact Captivity. And Few Things Thrive In Captivity.

After Spending Most Of Her Life Scanning The Horizon For Slights And Threats, Genuine And Imagined, She Knew The Real Threat To Her Happiness Came Not From The Dot In The Distance, But From Looking For It. Expecting It. Waiting For It. And In Some Cases, Creating It. Her Father Had Jokingly Accused Her Of Living In The Wreckage Of Her Future. Until One Day She'd Looked Deep Into His Eyes And Saw He Wasn't Joking. He Was Warning Her.

Things Are Strongest Where They're Broken.