And as far as false hope, there is no such thing. There is only hope or the absence of hope - nothing else.

I think we can work through a lot of political and international problems, but what really frightens me is what's happening environmentally.

Loss teaches you to figure things out as they come along.

I grew up in this era where your parents' friends were all called aunt and uncle. And then I had an aunt and an aunt. We saw them on holidays and other times. We never talked about it, but I just understood that they were a couple.

You have to separate yourself from your parents. You do. In order to find yourself.

My father's body lies in a stone tomb high on a hill. People walk by, pause, think their own thoughts about him and move on, back to their own lives. I can never move on. He is everywhere.

I knew people were independently publishing, and I buy books on Amazon. I began seriously considering it when Amanda Hocking was in the news about her self-publishing success.