“We're all creatures of complex needsand desires. The only certain thing in a romantic relationship is that you will both change, and one morning you will wake up, go the mirror, and see a stranger. Youwill have what you wanted, and discoveryou want something different. You thinkyou know who you are, and then you'llsurprise yourself. In all the choices in front of you, Restless, one thing is clear: love is notsomething to be thrown away lightly.There was something about this man, beyondcoincidences of timing and opportunity,that drew you to him. Before you giveup on the marriage . . . give him a chance.Be honest with him about the needs thataren't being met, the dreams you want topursue. Let him find out who you reallyare. Let him help you in the work of openingthat door, so the two of you can finallymeet after all these years.How do you know he can't satisfy youremotional needs? How can you be sure hedoesn't long for magic and passion just asyou do? Can you state with absolute certaintythat you know everything there is toknow about him?There are rewards to be gained from theeffort, even if it fails. And it will take courageas well as patience, Restless. Tryeverything you can . . . fight to stay with aman who loves you. Just for now, putaside the question of what you might havehad with someone else, and focus on whatyou can have, what you do have, at thisvery moment. I hope you'll find new questions,and that your husband might be theanswer.”

“If you merely pretend that you enjoy God or love Him, He knows. You can't fool Him; don't even try. Instead, tell Him how you feel. Tell Him that He isn't the most important thing in this life to you, and that you're sorry for that. Tell Him that you've been lukewarm, that you've chosen ___________ over Him time and time again. Tell Him that you want Him to change you, that you long to genuinely enjoy Him. Tell Him how you want to experience true satisfaction and pleasure and joy in your relationship with Him. Tell Him you want to love Him more than anything on this earth. Tell Him you want to treasure the kingdom of heaven so much that you'd willingly sell everything in order to get it. Tell Him what you like about Him, what you appreciate, and what brings you joy. 'Jesus, I need to give myself up. I am not strong enough to love You and walk with You on my own. I can't do it, and I need You. I need You deeply and desperately. I believe You are worth it, that You are better than anything else I could have in this life or the next. I want You. And when I don't, I want to want You. Be all in me. Take all of me. Have Your way with me'.”

“I have a vested interest in this thing because I want to see you happy. What you need to ask yourself is this: Are you a better person when you're with him? Are you kinder or smarter or happier? Do you think you do more good in the world? One man can be perfectly fine but maybe he doesn't bring out what's good in you, in which case I suggest you not be with him. But if you find a man who makes you better then you need to listen to that.”

“Knowing what we know, how much more do we want to give Him something? But He seems to have everything. Well, not quite. He doesn’t have you with Him again forever, not yet. I hope you are touched by the feelings of His heart enough to sense how much He wants to know you are coming home to Him. You can’t give that gift to Him in one day, or one Christmas, but you could show Him today that you are on the way. You could pray. You could read a page of scripture. You could keep a commandment. If you have already done these, there is still something left to give. All around you are people He loves but can help only through you and me. One of the sure signs that we have accepted the gift of the Savior’s atonement is that we give gifts to others.”

“You tell yourself that you aren't something or that you can't be something, and you know what? It will become true. You have to decide who you are and what you can do and then go after what you want. Because believe me, no one is going to give it to you.”

“If your boy's alive, the last thing you should want to do is double his trouble. Don't try to run to him when he's in something thick unless you can bring him the answer. ... If you raised your boy how you should've, then you know he's fighting with what he's got. If he dies, then you'll know he died trying, and that's as much as you can ask. ... Ted's gone. But he left you a son made out of the same stuff he was, and don't you underestimate him. If you know Tom, then you'll have some faith in the boy. The odds might be long, but I'll bet on him.”