And the very act of living is a tide; at first it seems to make no difference at all, and then one day you look down and see how much pain has eroded

There is a place in you that you don't even know exists, where you can simply stand back and watch without feeling any pain.

A dutiful mother is someone who follows every step her child makes...And a good mother is someone whose child wants to follow her.

If you want something to be true badly enough, you can rewrite it that way, in your head. You can even start to believe it.

No one ever asks a kid for her opinion, but it seems to me that growing up means you stop hoping for the best, and start expecting the worst.

When you think you're right, you're most likely wrong.

Yes, she is." He looks at me, his face carved in pain. "She is dying, Sara. She will die, either tonight or tomorrow or maybe a year from now if we're really lucky. You heard what Dr. Chance said. Arsenic's not a cure. It just postpones what's coming." My eyes fill up with tears. "But I love her," I say, because that is reason enough.