I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and filled myself up with the breeze from the valley. Then I let it out slow so it could get back to its travels, with a little bit of me added to it.

There's more than one way to tell each other things, and there's more than one way to listen, too.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and filled myself up with the breeze from the valley. Then I let it out slow so it could get back to its travels, with a little bit of me added to it.

And all the best words together couldn't hold the happiness.

...if a child waited to speak until all the grown-ups settled down and gave her some room to say her piece, the most important things would never get said.

It thought about the magic that happens when you tell a story right, and everybody who hears it not only loves the story, but they love you a little bit, too, for telling it so well. Like I love Ms. Washington, in spite of myself, the first time I heard her. When you hear somebody read a story well, you can't help but think there's some good inside them, even if you don't know them.

I know it's hard to not do well at something, and I know it's hard to need help.