Here's to you.

So. Um. Yeah.  Things are a particular brand of awful here, so instead, I'm going to blog about the touching, beautiful present I got from my sweet friend Kyla today.

See, I thought what she was sending me was an iTunes gift card, because that was the only thing I had told her I wanted.  Instead, what I got was way, way better and so heartwarming I seriously almost teared up.  It's a book full of inspirational quotes, and it could not be more perfect for a girl as in love with words as I am.  Kyla said when she saw it, she immediately thought of me. :)

The cover:  Here's to you!  There are certain people in our lives who just make the world a better place.  They give us hope and raise our spirits simply by being the kind of people they are.  Some people stand up and champion a cause, or provide the spark, or defy the odds, or do the right thing simply because it's right.  They don't really worry about fame or acclaim, they just think about being good friends, good neighbors, good people.  We don't say it often enough, but we are grateful to have these people in our midst.  Thank you for being you.

And these are just some of my favorites.  It was so hard to only pick a few, but I couldn't post them all!

Here's to your contribution.  "You have a gift that only you can give the world - that's the whole reason you're on the planet.  Use your precious energy to build a magnificent life...the miracle of your existence calls for celebration every day." - Oprah Winfrey

Here's to your passion.  "The key is to trust your heart to move where your unique talents can flourish.  This old world will really spin when work becomes a joyous expression of the soul." - Al Sacharov

Here's to your compassion.  "Love in action is the answer to every problem in our lives and in this world.  Love in action is the force that helped us make it to this place, and it's the truth that will set us free." - Susan Taylor

Here's to your goodness.  "The work of your heart, the work of taking time to listen, to help, is also your gift to the whole of the world." - Jack Kornfield

That's just a few of them.  It is seriously one of the sweetest gifts I have ever received.

It also made me think of this song.

In case no one else has told you in a while, you are special.  You are beautiful.  You are wanted.  And I am thankful for you.

In the words of Dr. Seuss, "Today, you are you.  That is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is youer than you."

Go be you.  You is enough.