from A Life for a Life

Oh, the comfort—
The inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person—
Having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
But pouring them all right out,
Just as they are,
Chaff and grain together;
Certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them,
Keep what is worth keeping,
And then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.

Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (1826-1887)