“Without a plan in your head or a penny in your pocket, you best have a prayer in your heart-”

“If a hole in your wall is large enough for a rat to get his head in, rats will soon take over your home. If there is a hole in your heart large enough for the devil to get his head in, he'll waste no time moving in too.”

“With time, grief has a way of slipping down in the crevices of your heart. It never really leaves; it just makes room for more.”

“Listen, my child, to the voices of your ancestors. Take pride in our accomplishments; find your strength in our suffering. For WE are not just voices in the wind, WE are a living part of YOU”

“My darling, My day’s sweetest moments are at dawn, for I awake with dreams of you still in my head. As the light touches my lips, I can almost feel yours upon mine. I imagine your footsteps coming up the walk, but today is the same as the day before. It is only fanciful thinking. As the first beams of morning sunlight dance across my weary shoulders I cry out, “How can you be so cheery and bright with so much sorrow across our land?” I know I must be strong and face another day, but tears fill my eyes. Suddenly, a white dove lands upon my window sill. Surely this be the omen that peace is near at hand. Just like the breath of the coming Spring, this little dove now brings me new hope. God has heard our prayers and our Southland will flower again.”

“You have proven to be a true ‘Steel Magnolia, strong as steel with your roots planted deep in the southern soil. Remember to always bend with the wind. Although time may weather you, you will always be my beautiful Magnolia.”

“Mother used to say if you stood out in a rain like that; it would wash away your sins-”