I wanted to let the world know that no one had a perfect life, that even the people who seemed to have it all had their secrets.

Things usually work out in the end." "What if they don't?" "That just means you haven't come to the end yet.

Since Mom wasn't exactly the most useful person in the world, one lesson I learned at an early age was how to get things done, and this was a source of both amazement and concern for Mom, who considered my behavior unladylike but also counted on me. "I never knew a girl to have such gumption," she'd say. "But I'm not too sure it's a good thing.

She had her addictions and one of them was reading.

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.

The women I know with strong personalities, the ones who might have become generals or the heads of companies if they were men, become teachers. Teaching is a calling, too. And I've always thought that teachers in their way are holy-angles leading their flocks out of the darkness.

Horses are a mirror of who you are. They're emotionally dependent on you.