There is a risk involved in everything
Every time you share a smile
Every time you shed a tear
You are opening yourself up to hurt.

Some people tread slowly through life,
Avoiding the closeness risk brings,
Side-stepping the things they can't understand
Turning away from those who care too much
Those who care too long,
Those who hold too tightly.

There is never an easy way to love 
You can not approach it cautiously
It will not wait for you to arm yourself.
It does not care if you turn away
It is everywhere, it is everything.

Love is the greatest of all risks.
It is not reliable, it is not cautious,
It is not sympathetic
It is unprejudiced and unmerciliess.
It strikes the strongest of mind,
And brings them to their knees in one blow.

Even in the best of times, love hurts.
It hurts to need, it hurts to belong,
It hurts to be the other part of someone else,
Without either of your consent.
But, from the moment it overtakes you,
It hurts worse to be all alone.

The risk of love never depletes;
It grows stronger and more dangerous with time.
But, it's in the total surrender of all defense,
That we, no matter weak or strong,
No matter willing or captive,
No matter what, we truly experience love.
 

No matter the outcome, having felt love, 
You will never be the same.
It may scar your heart & soul
And Leave you only memories of forever.
Or, it may cause every day of your life 
To feel like there is no need for tomorrow.
But, love is worth it. It is worth the risk...
For in all of life, 
Love is truly the only risk worth taking.

COMES THE DAWN 

After a while you learn the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul; 
And you learn that love doesn't necessarily mean
leaning and company doesn't necessarily mean security; 
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and 
presents aren't promises;
And you begin to accept your defeats with your head
up and your eyes ahead with the grace of a person not
the grief of a child;
And you learn to build all your roads today because
tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans and
futures have a way of falling down in mid' flight;
And after awhile, you learn that even sunshine burns if
you ask for too much so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul - instead of waiting for
someone to bring you flowers;
And you learn that you really can endure that you are
really strong and that you have worth;
And you learn, and you learn...with every goodbye you learn.

Brittney loved basketball
Friends and parties too
And when it came to painting
That's all she wanted to do

She painted everything she saw
Birds, flowers, the sky
Some days she sat at her window
And painted everything that passed her by

But lately she'd been feeling woozy
Her muscles ached a lot
And her parents got kind of worried
So they took her to the doc

The doctor took a couple of tests
To see if everything was ok
Then the nurse came out with a look of sadness 
And this is what she had to say;

"I'm sorry but you've got leukemia,"
"You've got about 3 months more."
Then Brittney got up and ran out of the room
And slammed the office door

She ran down the street screaming
And cried her eyes out dry
And stayed up all night
Wondering what it's like to die

Her parents held her tightly 
And said, "We love you,"
"We'll make your last few months the greatest,"
"We'll do anything for you."

So Brittney and her parents moved to Florida
To live by the sea
Because Brittney loved the ocean
And when she dies, that's where she wanted to be

She spent her days painting
And horseback riding in by the bay
But one day she met this guy
And his name was Jay

They collected seashells together
And talked about all kinds of things
And then one day while walking
He handed her a ring

It said that, "I love you,"
Which brought tears to Brittney's eyes
And when he put it on her finger
She began to cry

"I've got leukemia, and about a month more."
Then Jay said, " No matter what, I love you,"
And no matter what, you are the one I adore."

So they spent everyday together
And swam in the Atlantic all day
But Brittney was getting weaker
And it was hard for her awake to stay

So one day Brittney painted her picture
And gave it to Jay
She said, "I want you to remember me,"
"Even when I leave one day."

But one day while they were walking
And searching for seashells in the sand
Brittney collapsed and started to lose her breath
And said to Jay, "Please hold my hand."

"I love you more then anyone,"
"You are my only true love,"
"But now my time is up,"
"And I'll watch over you from above,"

Then Brittney's body was lifeless
As she lay in Jay's arms
And he sat there all day
And kept her safe from harm

I hope this teaches you a lesson
To tell someone you love them whenever you can
Because maybe they'll be gone tomorrow
And you won't be there to hold their hand

Because love is everything to everybody
Without it, the world would be dead
So always tell someone you love them
A parent, a lover, a friend

I love you as you are, as you seek to find your own
special way to relate to the world.  I honour your
choices to learn in the way you feel is right for you. 
 

I know it is important that you are the person you
want to be and not someone that I or others think
you 'should' be.  I realize that I cannot know what
is best for you, although perhaps sometimes I think
I do.  I have not been where you have been,
viewing life from the angle you have.  I do not
know what you have chosen to learn, how you have
chosen to learn it, with whom or in what time
period.  I have not walked life looking through your
eyes, so how can I know what you need.

I allow you to be in the world without a thought or
word of judgement from me about the deeds you
undertake.  I see no error in the things you say and
do.  In this place where I am I see that there are
many ways to perceive and experience the different
facets of our world.  I allow without reservation the
choices you make in each moment.  I make no
judgement of this for if I would deny your right to
your evolution, then I would deny that right for
myself and all others.

To those who would choose a way I cannot walk,
while I may not choose to add my power and my
energy to this way, I will never deny you the gift of
love that God has bestowed within me for all
creation.  As I love you so I shall be loved.  As I
sow, so shall I reap. 

I allow you the universal right of free will to walk
your own path, creating steps or to sit awhile if that
is what is right for you.  I will make no judgement
that these steps are large or small, nor light or
heavy or that they lead up or down for this is just
my viewpoint.  I may see you do nothing and judge
it to be unworthy and yet it may be that you bring
great healing as you stand blessed by the light of
God.  I cannot always see the higher picture of
divine order.

For it is the inalienable right of all life to choose
their own evolution and with great love I
acknowledge your right to determine your future. 
In humility I bow to the realisation that the way I
see as best for me does not have to mean it is also
right for you.  I know that you are led as I am,
following the inner excitement to know your own
path.

I know that the many races, religions, customs,
nationalities and beliefs within our world bring us
great richness and allow us the benefit and
teachings of such diverseness.  I know we each
learn in our own unique way in order to bring that
love and wisdom back to the whole.  I know that if
there was only one way to do something, there
would need only be one person.

I will not only love you if you behave in a way I
think you should or believe in those things I believe
in.  I understand you are truly my brother or my
sister, though you may have been born in a different
place and believe in another God than I.

The love I feel is for all of God's world.  I know
that every living thing is a part of God and I feel a
love deep within for every person, animal, tree and
flower, every bird, river and ocean and for all the
creatures in all the world.

I live my life in loving service, being the best me I
can, becoming wiser in the perfection of Divine
Truth, becoming happier in the joy of
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

  The man whispered, "God, speak to me"
      and a meadowlark sang.
         But the man did not hear.
 
  So the man yelled "God speak to me!"
      And the thunder rolled across the sky.
         But the man did not listen.
 
  The man looked around and said, "God let me see you."
      And a star shined brightly.
         But the man did not notice.
 
  And the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!"
      And a life was born.
         But the man did not know.
 
  So the man cried out in despair,
      "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!"
          Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
              But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.
 
  Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged
     the way that you expect.
 
  Author Unknown