Phyllis Theroux

“Real love opens doors to something larger than oneself.”

“During this week, Ragan has experience a bit of insecurity with me, the result of my being quieter than usual, which he interprets as being a withdrawal from him. “No,” I countered, “it is a withdrawal into myself.” I do not think the same need exists in him. Quiet can be the two of us reading silently. But he prefers that I be nearby. I need regular time without anybody else around in order to feel restored.”

“I can feel my heart growing daily, which has its uncomfortable aspects, as if it could fall with the weight of love and break.”

“Everything we are given or learn or possess in any real sense - - the ability to play Beethoven sonata, write books, understand the principles of physics – is intended for one thing: to draw us closer to our selves.”

“An enlightened person raises the level of the consciousness of the entire community.”

“Falling silent should be cultivated, the way the woods fall silent in the snow. Messages you can’t send any other way can be heard.”

“Writing is not only a reflection of what one thinks and feels but a rope one weaves with words that can lower you below or hoist you above the surface of your life, enabling you to go deeper or higher than you would otherwise go. What excites me about his metaphor is that is makes writing much more than a lifesaving venture.”

“My nose remembers more than my eyes. The sharp oily smell of eucalyptus combines with afternoon dust from the hockey field. But my heart feels the different then and now.”

“There were times, in the beginning, when I used my journal as a wailing wall, but I learned not to immortalize the darkness. Rereading it was counterproductive. What I needed was a place in which to collect the light.”

“Writing is a deeply spiritual act that can have a profound effect upon the practitioner.”

“Children are born with imaginations in mint condition, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Then life corrects for grandiosity.”

“We were all so young that there were no lines on our faces to read between.”

“Mistakes are the usual bridge between inexperience and wisdom.”

“To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.”

“His eyes were sharp but kind, and it seemed to amuse him to see children misbehave when he knew that deep down they didn't really want to misbehave, but were just feeling lonely or misunderstood or wanted to go outside and play instead of sitting in a hot classroom. (26)”

“Every house has its own private cup of sorrow. (3)”