If she wasn't careful, she'd slide without a ripple into the gently flowing stream of her old life, pulled back under the current without a wimper of protest. Another housewife lost in the flow.

I am such a Pacific Northwest girl.

Finding your passion isn't just about careers and money. It's about finding your authentic self. The one you've buried beneath other people's needs.

Maybe time didn't heal wounds exactly, but it gave you a kind of armor, or a new perspective. A way to remember with a smile instead of a sob.

And no one drank just one shot of tequila.

And maybe that was how it was supposed to be...Joy and sadness were part of the package; the trick, perhaps,was to let yourself feel all of it, but to hold on to the joy just a little more tightly.

A daughter without her mother is a woman broken. It is a loss that turns to arthritis and settles deep into her bones.

Memories are who we are. In the end, that's all the luggage you take with you. Love and Memories are what last.

That was what a best friend did: hold up a mirror and show you your heart.

What I know now about life is this: your mother is a part of everything you do and everything you are.

From the first time we met, we knew everything that mattered about each other, didn't we? We just knew. I guess that's what best friends are: parts of each other.

Critics are to authors what dogs are to lamp-posts.

My plan is to continue teaching many more years than the 32 years I've already enjoyed and continue writing, and promoting my books and websites if it's God will.

Charlie had kissed a lot of guys. And Connor's kiss had been the best ever. Ever, ever, ever.

Compassion is a reflection of our connectedness. YOUR devotion to helping others is an expression of YOUR greatness.

The nature of a society is largely determined by the direction in which talent and ambition flow - by the tilt of the social landscape.

Tomorrow will be a new day.

I'm in total control. I write the songs, decide what to sing and how to sing. I even control the recording process. But, with a film, there is no control at all.

Of course the modern detective story puts off its best tricks till the last, but Doyle always put his best tricks first and that's why they're still the best ones.

It is now becoming clear that everything can - and probably did - come from nothing.

I know [canned music] makes chickens lay more eggs and factory workers produce more. But how much more can they get out of you on an elevator?