I don't remember who said this, but there really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child.

Grace arrived, like the big, loopy stitches with which a grandmotherly stranger might baste your hem temporarily.

I get thirsty people glasses of water, even if that thirsty person is just me.

I'd like to learn to meditate with more enthusiasm. I can sit down and get quiet for 20 minutes, but it just has not been a part of my Christianity at all.

You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments of grace or joy or transcendence, to make real or imagined events come alive. But you cannot will this to happen. It is a matter of persistence and faith and hard work. So you might as well just go ahead and get started.

Right foot, left foot, right foot, breathe.

Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Don't worry about appearing sentimental. Worry about being unavailable; worry about being absent or fraudulent.