Out of nowhere yesterday, I received an e-mail from a dear friend with whom I am woefully out of touch most of the time. Don't worry, she wrote; this isn't a chain letter, and you don't need to do anything. The e-mail was addressed to the lovely, amazing women in her life, and she was writing to pass on a collection of thoughts she had just come across in her own e-mail. Because it was exactly what I needed to read when it came in--and because it got the two of us onto the phone to talk for the first time in years--I'm passing it on here.

May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.