Renata Bowers

You'd be teary, too, yes you would be," he said, "if a girl and her bed had crashed into your head.

So by keeping her word, Frieda B. made amends. And the two who'd been strangers became best of friends.

But they never again passed up the opportunity to read a good book, together.

And although Frieda B. didn't feel it inside, the belief of her friend gave her courage to try.

A sweet kiss on her head made her little heart swell; she had pancakes, her dog. She had love. All was well.

I understand the logic behind removing toxic people from one__ life. But I also understand that many who are __oxic_ are acting out of a painful past_ and that to marginalize someone who__ not known much love is to validate that they don__ matter. To live in the world we desire _ a world of good people, safe places _ requires less fence-building and more heart-building. It requires valuing the worth of all people and loving the hurt as much as possible.

Heroes don__ seek attention. But they show up continually in the little things. Train your eyes to look for them. They may not be as loud as the headlines or newsfeeds. But they__e all around you, multitudes of them. Train your eyes and listen with your heart_ Both rightfully know that the quiet things, the little things, they are the big things. They are far more important than the noise of the world.

A story knows its way.