Mom always said people worried too much about their children. Suffering when you are young is good for you, she said. It immunized your body and your soul.

One of the many lessons I hope I've learned is how much I underestimated people, their open-mindedness and their willingness to understand. I think, moreover, I underestimated the degree to which everyone has a story. So my advice, for whatever it's worth, is to trust readers, trust the truth and trust the power of storytelling.

Mom also hinted a couple of times that it was good I was going to college, since with one failed marriage behind me, I 'd have trouble landing a good husband and would need something to fall back on. "A package that's been opened once doesn't have the same appeal".

Sometimes something catastrophic can occur in a split second that changes a person's life forever; other times one minor incident can lead to another and then another and another, eventually setting off just as big a change in a body's life.

If you want to be reminded of the love of the Lord, just watch the sunrise.

Horses were never wrong. They always did what they did for a reason, and it was up to you to figure it out.

People are like animals. Some are happiest penned in, some need to roam free. You go to recognize what's in her nature and accept it.