Patricia T. Holland

“If I were Satan and wanted to destroy a society, I think I would stage a full blown blitz on its women. I would keep them so distraught and distracted that they would never find the calming strength and serenity for which their sex has always been known. He has effectively done that, catching us in the crunch of trying to be superhuman instead of realistically striving to reach our indiviual purpose and unique God-given potential within such diversity. He tauntingly teases us that if we don't have it all- fame, fortune, families, and fun- and have it every minute all the time, we have been short changed; we are second class citizens in the race of life. You'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to get these messages in today's world, and as a sex we are struggling, and our society struggles. Drugs, teenage pregnancies, divorce, family violence, and suicide are some of the every-increasing side effecs of our collective life in the express lane.”

“(by mother Teresa)....."I was consoling a little girl who was sick and had much pain. I told her, 'You should be happy that God sends you suffering, because your sufferings are a proof that God loves you much. Your sufferings are kisses from Jesus.' 'Then Mother,' answered the little girl, 'please ask Jesus not to kiss me quite so much.”

“Mothering, I believe, requires engaging every muscle, every nerve, every fiber of our being, and through it all we pray.”

“Remember, women are not to be the caboose, and they are not the engine. They are much, much more than either of these.”

“Coincidence is a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous.”

“Meeting God in scripture has been like a divine intravenous feeding for me - a celestial I.V. that my son once described as an "angelical cord".”

“We must have the courage to be imperfect while striving for perfection.”

“...meekness also means strength--strength to be yourself, your best self, and to resist those people, principles, and places that work to abuse you physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”

“...we will have peace to the degree that we are less envious of others' situations, less threatened by others' accomplishments, less concerned with others' progress and more concerned with God's divine will for us.”

“....though we may not have a completely willing heart every time we serve, such service molds our heart, blesses us, and does enlarge our capacity to give.”

“Second only to dedicated temples, our homes are to be sacred edifices of the Lord, places of peace and holiness and sanctity.”

“Meditation is the language of the soul. It is defined as 'a form of private devotion, or spiritual exercise, consisting in deep, continued reflection on some religious theme”

“We have to pray as the ancients prayed. We are women now, not children, and are expected to pray with maturity. The words most often used to describe urgent, prayerful labor are wrestle, plead, cry, and hunger...In some sense, prayer may be the hardest work we will ever be engaged in, and perhaps it should be.”