Whenever I write about motherhood - and I write about it a lot - I am drawing on my experiences as a mother and also my experiences as a daughter.

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.

Lonely and Alone: There's a difference.

We really don't get to understand /why/ most of the time. It's true.

Time is conscience of the universe.

Melancholy: an appetite no misery satisfies.

Always, always pursue happiness.

Just tell me what to do. I don't know where I'm going, but I know I don't want to be here.

Sometimes questions can be more cruel than insults.

If you find yourself getting nervous stop and relax for three full breaths. Then take one small step, then another. That is how people get to the top of Everest.

I never set out to be a role model for large women, I just do what I feel is right.

He's as weird as snake's suspenders but sweet as a stolen kiss, too.