Please, let him be soft. 

I know you made him 
     with gunmetal bones
     and wolf’s teeth.
I know you made him to be
     a warrior
     a soldier
     a hero.

But even gunmetal can warp
and even wolf’s teeth can dull
and I do not want to see him break
the way old and worn and overused things do.

I do not want to see him go up in flames
     the way all heroes end up martyrs.

I know that you will tell me 
that the world needs him.
The world needs his heart
     and his faith
     and his courage
     and his strength
     and his bones and his teeth and his blood and his voice and his–
The world needs anything he will give them.

Damn the world,
     and damn you too.
Damn anyone that ever asked anything of him,
     damn anyone that ever took anything from him,
           damn anyone that ever prayed to his name.
You know that he will give them everything
     until there is nothing left of him
         but the imprint of dust
              where his feet once trod.
You know that he will bear the world like Atlas
    until his shoulders collapse
         and his knees buckle
              and he is crushed by all he used to carry. 

Dear God, 
you have already made an Atlas.
You have already made an Achilles and an Icarus and a Hercules. 
You have already made a sacrificial lamb of your Son.
You have already made so many heroes,
and you can make another again. 
You can have your pick of heroes. 

So please, I beg you–
he is all that I have, 
and you have so many heroes
and the world has so many more. 
Let him be soft, 
and let him be mine.

Please, let him be happy ( j.p. )

(via oceank1ng)

Source: pencap

One of the biggest problems with religion is that people stubbornly, insistently reduce God to their own size; they imagine that God loves the same people they love, and that God hates the people they hate. This is not just insidious theology; it’s actually idolatry, because people are just worshiping a blown up version of themselves. So let me say it simply: God’s love transcends all of that.


When your parents reject you, God loves you; when your friends or classmates make fun of you, God loves you; when your priest, minister, imam, or rabbi tells you that you are an abomination, God loves you; when politicians cater to people’s basest prejudices, God loves you. No matter how many times and in how many ways people make you feel less than human, God knows otherwise, and God loves you. When you feel frightened, or abandoned, or humiliated, I hope the unshakeable conviction that God loves you can help hold you and enable you to persevere.

From a Rabbi, An Open Letter To People Who Are LGBTQ by Rabbai Shai Held (via jewishtransition)

(via allisonpregler)

brynrose:

People are always so surprised by my relationship to animals, they think I should “love” them a whole lot more than I do. But in 24 years I think the most important thing I’ve learned about caring for animals is that love is not actually a huge part of it. I mean it is, obviously. But it’s so damaging too, it’s like the antithesis to balance. Unchecked it results in dogmatic, self-serving fervor. More important than love to your relationship with animals: respect, understanding, critical thinking, thoughtfulness, kindness, gentleness. Empathy. Perspective. Distance and space when necessary. The ability to let go.

(via moreanimalia)

Source: brynrose

Your affection for others can cause you to turn yourself into a stranger.

They like your hair straight, so you straighten it. They think your genuine laugh is too obnoxious, so you tone it down at dinners and parties. They think you’re too much of a softie, so you hide your tears when they say something negative about you and pretend to have thicker skin than what’s really there. Before you know it, you’ve altered so much of yourself that you don’t even know who the hell you are anymore.

Take a stand. Whoever ‘they’ may be to you, be aware of how much you’re compromising for them. If you can no longer breathe the same way around them, it’s time to show them the door.

Noor Shirazie (via noorshirazie)

(via allisonpregler)

Source: noorshirazie

sheriffswan:

When friendship dies away, I think the best thing you can do is to think of that person as someone who accompanied you for a part of your life. They helped you, they were here at a certain time and added something to your life. They were not meant to stay for longer than that but celebrate the short moment and let them go. They were on your road to help you at one moment of your life. You will find other friends who will follow you and walk at your side forever. Some friendships die away but that doesn’t mean they didn’t hugely touched you or have an impact on your life.

Cherish that.

(via kyleehenke)

Source: sheriffswan