Wherever you walk, I go with you. Selah.

The Bible - it's sort of the other person in the room. There's this book, the reader, and the Bible.

It is terrible how much has been forgotten, which is why, I suppose, remembering seems a holy thing.

If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully. Stories about food show a strong connection. Wistful silences demonstrate unfinished business. The more a daughter knows about the details of her mother's life - without flinching or whining - the stronger the daughter.

It was one of those perfect fall days when the air is cool enough to wake you up but the sun is also kissing your face.

There's something almost adolescent about Whitman's paean to everything that was and remains good about America.

I lived through a classic publishing story. My editor was fired a month before the book came out. The editor who took it over already had a full plate. It was never advertised. We didn't get reviewed in any major outlets.