In the sea of grief, there were islands of grace, moments in time when one could remember what was left rather than all that had been lost.

If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: in love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.

Lately he'd been seen going out less and less, becoming that strangest of animals in a small town: a loner.

This is the problem with forever friends. They know too much.

....both had learned that everything could change in an instant, and that the heartfelt vows of people in love were fragile words that, once shattered, could cut so deeply you'd bleed forever.

If she wasn't careful, she'd slide without a ripple into the gently flowing stream of her old life, pulled back under the current without a wimper of protest. Another housewife lost in the flow.

What good did it do to light the world on fire if she had to watch the glow alone?