Family, Friends, & Lovelies Oh My

There are 7 billion people in the world... & I have love in my heart for all of you.

Honestly... there isn't a person among the billions that I hate.

My heart is overflowing with love. I believe in love and unconditional kindness.

I cannot make everyone love or like me, but I can choose how I feel about others. I can choose how I act towards everyone. I can use my energy lovingly. 

I am blessed to have the most amazing, lovely people in my life. My words can't even begin to scratch the surface of expressing my love and appreciation for all of you. However, that doesn't mean I can't try or do my best at it...

I wish I could name all of you. 

God & My Savior who I love infinitely for every reason... for creating me and you and this world. For every blessing in my life. For the trials which make me stronger. For love. For forgiveness. For my life. For everything. 

Angie (my mom) for being the most incredible mother and friend. This woman rocks my world. She is superwoman. For always being there for me. For being the hardest working person I have ever known and instilling such work ethics in me. For being beautiful inside and out. 

My other parents (dad, Robert Allen (stepdad), Angie (stepmom), Debbie, Gene) for loving me and doing so much for me. For making me always feel at home. For all the things you do for me.

McHale, Jordan, & Christian for being wonderful siblings. I loveee the three of you to infinity and beyond. For all the hard & good times you have stuck through with me. For our adventures. For all the inside jokes that could fill a library. For making me smile and laugh everyday.

Brie & Tyson for their love and support through every hardship and trial I go through. For never giving up on me even when I feel like giving up on myself. For always letting me stay over when I don't feel like being alone. For 18+years of friendship from Brie. For truly being the best friends a girl could ask for. For the best advice. For endless game, movie, pizza, nights. 

Paige Madison I just met you towards the end of this year. I needed you in my life and God brought us together. For being such a genuine, fun girl who gives me the most amazing advice. For listening to me. For our letters. For helping each other through the hard times and sharing the good. For being such a sweetheart and always having my back.

Taylor for proving that sweet, chivalrous boys do exist. For always putting a smile on my face and making me feel pretty. For fun memories and the best letters.

Stacey for the memorable New Years Eve we had last night at that silly dance and how we can relate when it comes to guys. For the many memories I know we will share in 2012. For being such a totally awesome lady.

Emma even though we live across the globe, your reach is undeniable and ever present! You are the sweetest, most lovely girl. For meeting through our love of Kate Walsh & Caterina Scorsone :) For never failing to inspire me and keep me believing in the good. For being such a strong person despite all you have been through. I hope we someday can meet in person.

Nicole for being the younger sister I should've had. For being such an inspiration to me. For always being there for me no matter what. For the confidence you have in yourself and others that radiates back to me. For our friendship that will never fade ever. For helping me in countless ways. You are such an amazing girl! I hope we can meet someday!
Anna, Colette, & Erin my lovely new roommates! I am so excited to get to know you girls! I can already tell you are amazing and it's going to be a wonderful semester together. For making me feel so very welcome and being kind to the new girl.

Dakota & Sid I am so proud of the men you are becoming and the service you are giving to others. You both amaze me beyond comprehension. For your letters that never fail to brighten my days. 

Lexie for being the absolute, hands down nicest person I have ever met. For being so completely genuine and sweet. For all the fun times we have had "loitering" and what not! For being my friend since we were little kids. For the memories ahead--we better see each other more in 2012!

Mitch We met a year ago to this day and you have made my life better. For your love and kindness to me. For believing in me as I believe in you. For helping me through a lot.

Matt We just met and it was enchanting but just because it can be magical meeting someone doesn't mean it will stay that way. For being another example that even though we meet people and want them to stay in our lives doesn't mean they will nor that they are meant to stay. For being incredibly nice to my family.

Tyler Knott Gregson for your daily Haikus on Love which inspire me endlessly and keep me believing in love. You always stun me with your words. You make magic with your poetry. 

Hannah, Rian, Mat, & Brooke for the time I did share with all of you. Unfortunately in life people change and go their separate ways. Friendships fade away. As you have all exited my life, please know you will remain in my heart. I am grateful for the memories we have.

Shonda Rhimes for making Thursdays my favorite days. 

Lovelies aka all the rest of you reading this now... You are all astonishing. I love you all with all of my heart. I am always always always here for you. You inspire me. You all do. I am just overwhelmed by all of your love and support. Thank you.

In honor of 2012, one of my New Years resolutions is to post on the Inspiration Nation every single day. I plan on making this happen. Never give up on your dreams or yourselves. I believe in you. Lets make this year ours! Have heart, be loving, and always dream.

Always know, I am not the type of girl to let people walk out of my life and pretend that they don't matter anymore. I may not like that person anymore or talk to them but I still care. I'm always going to think back to my life and say I wonder what happened to so and so. I hope they're alright. I will actually mean it. That is the type of person I am. Once you're in my heart, you're there forever. YOU ALL MATTER.

With Love,

Charley Brooke

Th1rteen R3easons Why

Th1rteen R3asons Why

By Jay Asher

This book changed me forever. I will never ever forget it. I've been in Hannah's shoes before. I think we all have had Hannah moments... but have we also been one of the thirteen? This book is eerie, beautiful and absolutely, breathtakingly, devastating. I feel the world would be a better place if everyone read this. Read this. I could not put this book down. This was my second time reading it. It reveals what is behind the masks we all wear and how everything we do and say (or don't do and say) effects everything... This book touched my heart, and its fingerprints will remain etched there forever.

SUMMARY: When high school student Clay Jensen receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

You can't stop the future,

You can't rewind the past.

The only way to learn the secret

...is to press play.

Clay Jensen doesn't want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made. Hannah is dead. Her secrets should be buried with her.

Then Hannah's voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes--and that he is, in some way, responsible for her death.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening. He follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his small town...

...and what he discovers changes his life forever.

MY FAVORITE QUOTES FROM THIS BOOK:
"Hello, boys and girls. Hannah Baker here. Live and in stereo. No return engagements. No encore. And this time, absolutely no requests. I hope you're ready; because I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons why."

-Hannah Baker

"The rules are pretty simple. There are only two. Rule number one: You listen. Number two: You pass it on. Hopefully neither one will be easy for you."

-Hannah

"Do not take me for granted... again."

-Hannah

"I hope you'll understand your role in all of this. Because it may seem like a small role now, but it matters. In the end, everything matters."

-Hannah

"What did you want to hear? Because I've heard so many stories that I don't know which one is the most popular. But I do know which is the least popular. The truth."

-Hannah

"When you hold people up for ridicule, you have to take responsibility when other people act on it."

-Hannah

"You can't rewrite the past."

-Clay Jensen 

"You can't know rumors. You can hear rumors but you can't know them."
-Hannah

"Did you notice the scars you left behind? No. Probably not. Because most of them can't be seen with the naked eye."

-Hannah

"Every story I'm telling leaves so many unanswered questions."

-Hannah

"I took the longest possible route home. I explored alleys and hidden roads I never knew existed. I discovered neighborhoods entirely new to me. And finally... I discovered I was sick of this town and everything in it."

-Hannah

"With the realization that no one knew the truth about my life, my thoughts about the world were shaken. Like driving along a bumpy road and losing control of the steering wheel, tossing you--just a tad--off the road. The wheels kick up some dirt, but you're able to pull it back. Yet no matter how tightly you grip the wheel, no matter how how hard you try to drive straight, something keeps jerking you to the side. You have so little control over anything anymore. And at some point, the struggle becomes too much--too tiring--and you consider letting go. Allowing tragedy...or whatever... to happen."

-Hannah

"I couldn't stop thinking about Hannah. How she looked. How she acted. How it never matched up with what I heard. But I was too afraid to find out for sure. Too afraid she might laugh if I asked her out. Just too afraid."
-Clay

"For the longest time... it seemed that I was the only one who cared about me. Will I ever get control of my life? Will I always be shoved back and pushed around by those I trust? Will my life ever go where I want it to?"
-Hannah

"I'm listening to someone give up. Someone I knew. Someone I liked. I'm listening. But still, I'm too late."
-Clay

Eventually, she said the words that ran through my mind for the rest of that night: "You don't need to watch out for me, Clay."
But I did, Hannah. And I wanted to. I could have helped you. But when I tried, you pushed me away.
I can almost hear Hannah's voice speaking my next thought for me. "Then why didn't you try harder?"


"I guess that's the point of it all. No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same."
-Hannah

"My heart and my trust were in the process of collapsing. And that collapse created a vacuum in my chest. Like every nerve in my body was withering in, pulling away from my fingers and toes. Pulling back and disappearing. I sat. And I thought. And the more I thought, connecting the events in my life, the more my heart collapsed."
-Hannah

"Maybe I wanted someone to point a finger at me and say, "Hannah. Are you thinking about killing yourself? Please don't do that, Hannah. Please?" 
But deep down, the truth was that the only person saying that was me. Deep down, those were my words."
-Hannah

"If you could hear other people's thoughts, you'd overhear things that are true as well as things that are completely random. And you wouldn't know one from the other. It'd drive you insane. What's true? What's not? A million ideas, but what do they mean?"
-Hannah

"If my love were an ocean,
there would be no more land.
If my love were a desert,
you would see only sand.
If my love were a star--
late at night, only light.
And if my love could grow wings,
I'd be soaring in flight."
-Hannah

"If you hear a song that makes you cry and you don't want to cry anymore, you don't listen to that song anymore. But you can't get away from yourself. You can't decide to not see yourself anymore. You can't decide to turn off the noise in your head."
-Hannah

"Looking down into her eyes, I couldn't help telling her I was sorry. Sorry for waiting so long to let her know how I felt. For a brief moment, I was able to admit it. To her. To myself. But I could never admit it again. Till now. But now, it's too late. And that's why, right at this moment, I feel so much hate. Toward myself. I deserve to be on this list. Because if I hadn't been so afraid of everyone else, I might have told Hannah that someone cared. And Hannah might still be alive."
-Clay

"Soul Alone" by Hannah Baker
I meet your eyes
you don't even see me
You hardly respond
when I whisper
hello
Could be my soul mate
two kindred spirits
Maybe we're not
I guess we'll never
know


My own mother
you carried me in you
Now you see nothing
but what I wear
People ask you
how I am doing
You smile and nod
don't let it end
there


Put me
underneath God's sky and 
know me
don't just see me with you eyes
Take away
this mask of flesh and bone and
see me 
for my soul




alone


"You don't know what went on in the rest of my life. At home. Even at school. You don't know what goes on in anyone's life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person's life, you're not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can't be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person's life, you're messing with their entire life."
-Hannah

"You can't go back to how things were. How you thought they were. All you really have... is now."
-Hannah

"The thing is," I say, "I never really missed her till now."
He sits back in his seat and looks over at me.
"I didn't know what to make of that night. Everything that happened. I'd liked her for so long from so far away, but I never had a chance to tell her." I look down at the Walkman. "We only had one night, and by the end of that night, it seemed like I knew her even less than before. But now I know. I know where her mind was that night. Now I know what she was going through."
My voice breaks, and in that break comes a flood of tears.
-Clay

With my face pressed against the bars, I begin to cry. If anyone is walking through the park, I know they can hear me. But I don't care if they hear me because I can't believe I just heard the last words I'll ever hear from Hannah Baker... I would have helped her if she'd only let me. I would have helped her because I want her to be alive.
-Clay


Always remember, even when it feels like you are all alone and you don't have anyone to talk to, you do. There's a national phone number and Web site (1-800-SUICIDE and www.hopeline.com) available 24/7. I am always here for you. Remember to always tell the ones you love how you feel. Speak now. And keep unkind words to yourself. Love will always overcome hate.

The Importance of Being Important

YOU are important.

Everyone of you is significant.

Humans have a universal need to feel important. However, most have entirely different definitions of what it means to be important. Some people think unless you are famous then you are a nobody, nonexistent, and definitely not important. I have seen celebrities who have egos nearly bigger than the world we live on who just reinforce these beliefs into girls and boys of all ages. I am ashamed at the actors and singers and performers act like they are royalty and fans are just peasants that don't matter. Why do we stand for this? Our society has always perplexed me when it comes to this issue. Everywhere you go you see and hear about these "perfect" famous people who we put on a higher level. It's ridiculous to me.

Now don't get me wrong, there are a number of celebrities out there who are genuine, down to earth, and truly, madly, deeply care for their fans. The cast of Private Practice is a prime example of this. I admire and adore them for their unconditional love towards their fans. Caterina Scorsone, Kate Walsh, Amy Brenneman, and other cast members communicate with their fans via Twitter. They take the time out of their busy schedules to talk to us like we are their friends. They listen to our questions and try to help answer them. Words can never fully express my love (and the love all PPP fans) held in my heart for them. I also appreciate the time they dedicate to various charities.

You don't have to be famous to be important. You may not be able to change the world, but you can change your world and the world of those you love. I know we all dream at one point or another of being in the limelight with millions of adoring fans chasing us all over, but it's more than that. Find out who is truly important to you. You can be important by reaching out and helping others. Always express your love and appreciation to those who are important to you. Be kind. Fame isn't everything. Love is what counts. In the end, love always wins. I love all of you lovelies. You are important to me. Making someone else feel important is like a chain reaction, it makes me feel happy. What's that old saying... people may forget your name, but they'll never forget the way you made them feel. Truth.

What is important to you?

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."

-Barbara Johnson

"Ican is 100 times more important than IQ."

"The salvation of a single soul is more important than the production or preservation of all the epics and tragedies in the world."

-C.S. Lewis

"It is important to remember that we all have magic inside of us."

-J.K. Rowling

"It's important to give it all you have while you have the chance."

-Shania Twain

"We're constantly being told what other people think we are, and that's why it's so important to know yourself."

-Sarah McLachlan

"There is only one time that is important--NOW! It is the most important time because it is the only time that we have any power."

-Tolstoy

"The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them."

-Stephen King

"It is extremely important for you to believe in yourselves not only for what you are now but for what you have the power to become. The Lord will unfold your future bit by bit. Trust Him."

-Neal A. Maxwell

"It's astonishing how important a person becomes when they die."

"Family is the most important thing in the world."

-Princess Diana

"I believe that as much as you take you have to give back. It's important not to focus on yourself too much."

-Nicole Kidman

"The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity."

-Ludwig Wittgenstein

"I had found a kind of serenity, a new maturity... I didn't feel better or stronger than anyone else but it seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not--more important now was for me to love them. Feeling that way turns your whole life around, living becomes the art of giving."

-Beverly Sills

"What is important is not what someone is but what he is waiting for. Not the events of life but its possibilities."

-Dorothee Solle

"Trust is really important, just in relationships in general. I really don't like people that aren't real people around me at all. I don't like people that are 'yes' people. I don't like people that tell me what they think I want to hear."

-Beyonce Knowles

"It is important not to have the unrealistic expectations that we will find a magic key to get rid of all suffering. It takes determination and patience."

-The Dalai Lama

"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."

“Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”

-Rolberto Clemente

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given, then to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing…”

“We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already, we have the power to imagine better.”

-J.K. Rowling

“We are not powerless. We have tremendous potential for good or ill. How we choose to use that power is up to us; but first we must choose to use it. We’re told every day, ‘You can’t change the world.’ But the world is changing every day. Only question is…who’s doing it? You or somebody else?”

-J. Michael Straczynski

"We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world.”

-V For Vendetta

I send my prayers and love...

Dear Inspiration Nation,

As you have heard, there is much turmoil and chaos and death going on in the Middle East, Africa, and New Zealand (with the earthquake). I send my love and am praying for all of you. I can't even begin to imagine the suffering and pain you must be dealing with. But know you are not alone and people care about you. I sure do. We who live in the United States are so unbelievably blessed with the freedoms we have. I am thankful for these and all of my other many blessings. As Barack Obama said, "We may not be able to stop all of the evil in the world, but how we treat one another is entirely up to us." Always stand up for what you believe in. You are capable of so much. 

With love,

Charley Brooke