“People have to snatch at happiness when they can, in this world. It is always easier to lose than to find...”

“It's painful to hold out hope for the things that once brought you joy. You have to find ways to make yourself forget.”

“My heart is shattered, an all that's left are jagged shards.”

“I remember her words to me when I left school: Your mind will be your comfort. It is, sometimes. And sometimes it isn't.”

“Before we leave the gravesite, Mary sings Mother's favorite gospel hymn ...Mary's lovely voice rises and lingers in the air, and by the end of the song most of us are crying. I am too, though I sti...”

“Something inexorable seeds itself in the place of your origin. You can never escape the bonds of family history, no matter how far you travel.”

“I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be okay with being different, and with being this alive, this intense. (xxvi)”

“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.”

“Birthdays could be such a bummer when you were older than the country you lived in.”