Toni Sorenson

"Words can be arrows that inflict wounds. They can also be bandages that heal."

"It is not enough just to believe in Christ. We have to believe that He believes in us so we can believe in ourselves. That’s a sentence that deserves a re-read."

"You are the only one who can dream your dreams."

"You can be an atheist three seasons out of the year, but not during spring. Spring makes it mandatory to believe in a Divine Creator."

"If you truly believe something you will attempt to live it. Otherwise you don’t really believe it."

"Just because we’ve made poor or wrong choices in the past, does not limit us from making wise and good choices now."

"We exist to fully participate in the creation our own lives."

"When you lay your head on the pillow at the end of the night, can you think of three things you did during the day to make your life better? Did you nourish your body? Your spirit? Your mind? If not, get back up and do something that good for YOU."

"Never let anyone belittle your efforts to better yourself. Let them stand back or stand aside, but you move forward no matter who tries to stop you."

"When we are needy Christ does His best work, but be warned. Someone, maybe even some well-meaning soul, is going to tell you, “Don’t worry. God will never give you more than you can handle.”I double-dog-dare you to find that in the scriptures. The closest you can come is found in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”This talks about an escape from temptation; it does not say that you will not be faced with more than you can handle. The mother whose baby is born and dies, the father who loses his eyesight in a construction accident and can no longer provide for his family, the child who hurries home from school every day hoping that his mother hasn’t yet succumbed to the cancer that he sees ravish her body day by day . . . all of these souls have more than they can handle—on their own. But with Christ as their companion on the journey through life—and only with Christ—all things are possible. Without Him, we fail no matter how far we manage on our own. We can never cross over without Christ and His all-access Atonement."

"To those who struggle comes strength."

"Because Christ doesn’t scream to get our attention, we have to find places and times that are quiet. We can look for Him throughout the day in a smile or the sunlight through a cloud. He’s there in a baby’s face—every time in a baby’s face."

"Why are you alive? To discover joy and to share that joy with others."

"If you’re giving to get, all you’ll receive is disappointment. But if you’re giving to give, all you’ll receive is joy."

"Life moves for people who move their bodies!"

"If you want to discover your true purpose for existing, all you have to do is look deeply into the things that bring you joy."

"When a man is loved by a strong, confident woman he too is stronger and more confident. Once he has been touched by the tenderness of a strong, confident woman he too can touch with tenderness. That kind of love is contagious."

"If you have no arms To hold your crying child but your own arms And no legs but your own to run the stairs one more time To fetch what was forgotten I bow to you If you have no vehicle To tote your wee one but the wheels that you drive And no one else to worry, “Is my baby okay?”When you have to say goodbye on the doorsteps of daycareor on that cursed first day of school I bow to you If you have no skill but your own skill To replenish an ever-emptying bank account And no answers but your own to Satisfy the endless whys, hows, and whens your child asks and asks again I bow to you If you have no tongue to tell the truth To keep your beloved on the path without a precipice And no wisdom to impart Except the wisdom that you’ve acquired I bow to you If the second chair is empty Across the desk from a scornful, judging authority waiting For your child’s father to appear And you straighten your spine where you sit And manage to smile and say, “No one else is coming—I’m it.”Oh, I bow to you If your head aches when the spotlight finally shineson your child because your hands are the only hands there to applaud I bow to you If your heart aches because you’ve given until everything in you is gone And your kid declares, “It’s not enough.”And you feel the crack of your own soul as you whisper,“I know, baby. But it’s all mama’s got.”Oh, how I bow to you If they are your life while you are their nurse, tutor, maid Bread winner and bread baker,Coach, cheerleader and teammate…If you bleed when your child falls down I bow, I bow, I bow If you’re both punisher and hugger And your own tears are drowned out by the running of the bathroom faucetbecause children can’t know that mamas hurt too Oh, mother of mothers, I bow to you.—Toni Sorenson"

"Courage is not beating up the bully or letting the bully beat you up, it is standing strong before the bully and seeing him for what he truly is: a child of God in need of an attitude adjustment."

"Courage is stepping forward when all you can see is darkness."