We criticize mothers for closeness. We criticize fathers for distance. How many of us have expected less from our fathers and appreciated what they gave us more? How many of us always let them off the hook?

Parents remain our touchstones, fellow travelers, even after death. They are both missing and present.

Taboos are falling across our culture like dominoes. What was unspeakable yesterday dominates talk shows today.

What he labels sexual, she labels harassment.

The central paradox of motherhood is that while our children become the absolute center of our lives, they must also push us backout in the world.... But motherhood that can narrow our lives can also broaden them. It can make us focus intensely on the moment and invest heavily in the future.

Maybe at 20 you can write well, but I don't think you could do what I do. Some things have to happen to you first.

I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people convinced they are about to change the world. I am more awed by those who struggle to make one small difference.