Yet there are worse things in the world than that.”

I have counted my coins until the purse is empty and found a roofless room to call my own. The hunger of the belly is sharp, yes, but it burns away with food. The bitterness that lives in the heart against those who have more is a fire that consumes the soul long before the body starves. I would sooner beg from door to door than carry such hatred out into the light.

I ask you to look at your own walls and see if they hold more than stone and timber. If you feel a coldness rising in your chest toward the world, stop and let it thaw. Do not wait for prison bars or poverty to teach you that love is the only true wealth. Begin tonight by forgiving the one who wronged you, for that is the first step toward a new life.