I couldn't have foreseen all the good things that have followed my mother's death. The renewed energy, the surprising sweetness of grief. The tenderness I feel for strangers on walkers. The deeper love I have for my siblings and friends. The desire to play the mandolin. The gift of a visitation.

The movies we love and admire are to some extent a function of who we are when we see them.

Be nice to your siblings. They are your link to the past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Families are ecosystems. Each life grows in response to the lives around it

Worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.

Do one thing every day that scares you... Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own... Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.